


An Eternal Bond

by Marinated_Stake



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Adventure, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, My First AO3 Post, No Sex Scenes, Oops, Plot, Post-Canon, Some Fluff, definitely not my first fan-fiction, sex euphemism, so this might go a while, this is before lance adopted kiera and catalina
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:49:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 42,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28022703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marinated_Stake/pseuds/Marinated_Stake
Summary: Just before the night of her wedding, Rapunzel feels something calling for her. She can't quite describe what, but it couldn't come a moment sooner as a strange stone begins to appear and cause trouble all over again. It'll be up to her to figure out what's causing the mayhem to begin and how to stop it.(This uses certain elements of the series, but certain plot lines I don't like will stay out of this. )
Relationships: Cassandra & Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled), Cassandra/Original Female Character(s), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & King Frederic of Corona, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Lance Strongbow, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Varian, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Queen Arianna of Corona & King Frederic of Corona & Rapunzel (Disney), Queen Arianna of Corona/King Frederic of Corona (Disney), Rapunzel & Lance Strongbow, Rapunzel & Varian (Disney)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	1. The Night Before the Wedding Bells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eugene gets cold feet before the ceremony. Rapunzel's distracted by the distant feeling of a being calling for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place before, and then after, the events of Tangled Ever After. Might keep this going for a while, I'm not sure. I hope you enjoy!

The night finally made it's way to the sky. The stars twinkled gently, and a full moon shined down on the kingdom. Not a cloud in the sky could be found.

In the months that passed, the kingdom of Corona had been hard at work rebuilding and rebuilding to return to some sense of normalcy. Although the black rocks haven't returned since the Moonstone and Sundrop returned to their rightful places in space, they still left massive damage to the surrounding kingdom. Homes were destroyed, roads were wrecked, lives were lost and ruined. Thankfully, Corona's spirit lived on as strong as ever, and they took to rebuilding quickly. The castle was one of the first to be finished, mostly thanks to Rapunzel's leadership; she knew perfectly well that people look up to the castle for hope and guidance- a broken castle meant a broken town. She could see the progress moved quicker upon the castle's finishing, and not a moment too soon either- no wall brought some cold nights. Blankets and a warm fiancé helped with this, but the fiancé could only be around for so many hours before he needed to leave to escape suspicion. Blankets never needed to leave. 

After tomorrow however, neither will the fiancé. Of course, that will be due to the fact that 'fiancé' would no longer be the appropriate title.

Tonight was the last night before they would be married. If they had it their way, this would have happened months ago, but with Corona's repairs underway and the need for guests to prepare, it made sense to wait. After all, she couldn't get married without her closest friends there. It had been some months since Cassandra and Rapunzel reunited and worked together to defeat Zhan Tiri. This also means that it had been some months since Rapunzel had seen or heard from her. The king agreed to a full pardon if and only if Cassandra agreed to leave Corona, but Rapunzel was never one for these kinds of agreements, especially when it comes to her wedding day. For one night and one night only, she would be able to return to the kingdom to see her marry the love of her life. That's not what she was focused on, however. Not on Cassandra, not on the wedding, but the moon. She sat in her comfortable window seat to stare up at it while Pascal fell asleep on her shoulder. As much as it shined down on the land, she shined just as bright in return. There was something in the sky tonight that attracted her, brought her closer and closer, but it was hard to pinpoint what made this need to focus on the night sky so necessary, so pleasing. She's watched the night sky on multiple occasions; she watched it for 18 years in the tower while lanterns floated gently to their lost princess, she watched it on the run from royal guards and cheated thieves, she watched it in her travels to retrieve the Moonstone, particularly in the arms of one Mr. Fitzherbert (both were quite a fan of this), but this felt different. It was as though the night sky _needed_ to be there for her, and her for it. 

Meanwhile, in his small guest room, Eugene paced the floor of his tiny room, having to avoid the luggage he would be bringing with him to the honeymoon. Lance flipped through a magazine of not-entirely-appropriate content, only to look up and watch his best friend's nerves unfold right in front of him. His magazine would have to wait. 

"So, uh, you okay, buddy?"

"Okay? Okay?! Why wouldn't I be okay? I'm getting married tomorrow! It's a happy and fantastic day! I'm getting married to the love of my life, there's nothing that could make me happier, I"M THE HAPPIEST MAN ALIVE!" Eugene rambled unhappily. 

Lance, who regretted asking the question, was quite familiar with this kind of nervous rambling of his and knew that unless he stopped it, he would keep pacing until he made a path into the floor. Lance shot up and moved towards him, grabbing him into the one-arm hug that came with being friends with the big goofball. 

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa, 'happiest man alive'! If you're happy, why are you pacing the room like that?" Eugene had no answer, but squeaked out a simple "I...can't...breathe..." Lance released him from his one-armed grip to let him gasp back some air and to point out "You know, I don't think I've seen you like this since...ya know..." 

"Stalyan. I know." 

Eugene sat down on his bed, burying his head into his hands, taking a deep breath. "I don't want to leave Rapunzel at the altar." Lance, confused by this statement, replied "Well, then don't do that. Problem solved!" Eugene shook his head, "No, not solved. I really hurt Stalyan, and... I really don't want to do that to Rapunzel." He paused for a minute to let out a sigh through his nose, contemplating what was going through his mind. "With Stalyan, I was maybe half there in my head. I just found myself running out of there as fast as possible, without even thinking about it. What if I do that again?" Lance sat down next to him on his bed, hand on his back, and attempted to comfort him. "Look, Stalyan was a different story. I'm not entirely sure who on Earth _is_ right for her, but I can't imagine Eugene Fitzherbert with someone like her." Eugene looked to him and said "You're right. She's exactly who Flynn Rider would have wanted though if he wasn't such a sleaze." They both sat silent for a few seconds before he said, "Are you still Flynn Rider?" Eugene looked to the floor. "I need to talk to Rapunzel." He got up and headed for the door. Just as he opened the door, the former ruffian warned, "Hey, you can't be doing that 24 hours before the ceremony." 

"Yeah, I never really got that." He shut the door behind him.

It's a pretty familiar path to her room at this point. Before his captain days, it was a much sneakier route as well. His rank gave him more power to move as he needed to his relief. He enjoyed the benefits a lifetime of thievery gave him, but it also gave him a little too much to worry about, not the feeling you want when you're in a home. Walking down the halls to reach her room as normal as you could get in the middle of the night made a wonderful change of pace compared to having to hide from people who grew to trust him. Perhaps it was habit. It hit him along the way how truly needed this change was, because a Prince-Consort shouldn't be afraid in what will soon officially be his own home. He used to live here due to the grace and kindness of King Frederic. Now his royal duties will soon demand that he be here. It would be interesting to be both royalty, and the guard of royalty. None of this would matter without his princess, however. He wouldn't want it without her. 

He soon appeared before the familiar daisy-white doors. She was able to give artistic direction towards her own door. It was a scene that screamed Rapunzel. The walls leading towards the door were speckled with flowers, trees, birds, lace, and sunshine overlooking a beautiful rendition of the castle. He loved the imagery, he loved the personality. It was her to a T. He couldn't help but smile. "Captain!" Stan announced as he approached. Eugene held out his arms in a 'Please calm down, Stan' attitude, "At ease, gentlemen. How are you?" Stan and Pete stood guard as usual. "So far, so good Eu-- uh, Captain. Nothing to report", announced the burly guard. "If I may, what are you doing here, Cap? It's well under 24 hours until the ceremony." Eugene couldn't help but roll his eyes at this. "Everyone keeps telling me that. What's the big deal? Here, let me pass." The two guards separated to their designated sides of the door and allowed Eugene to knock. 

_Knock-knock_

He gently rapped on her door, "Hey Blondie, can we talk?" He waited a few seconds to no answer. 

_Knock-knock_

He gave it one more go. "Rapunzel?" He asked. 

_Knock-knock_

Now he was starting to worry. Silence never meant anything good when it came to the lost Princess of Corona. 

"All right, I need to get in there." 

Stan interrupted his barging to remind him, "Sir, she could just be asleep. Maybe you might consider seeing her in the morning?" No, that couldn't be it. She's usually a pretty light sleeper, and after all, this is Rapunzel we're talking about, right? He wouldn't be surprised if they needed to repair the wall again, but he needed to know why she left, and getting in there was usually the first step to an answer. He opened up the door, bracing himself for that familiar gut-punch feeling when she's not in her room.

She was laying in front of the window. She looked asleep. 

"Told ya", chided the guard. Eugene gave him a glare before he quickly and nervously turned around. Pete cackled a little. "Oh, dry up!" 

The light-footed ex-con knew how to move around sleeping people easily. He learned pretty quickly to tip-toe, going back to the days of sneaking food into the Orphanage. No need to wake up the younger kids. He approached the window as quietly as he could. He couldn't help but admire her a little. She was already in her favorite nightgown, a light blue little thing. Her chestnut brown hair carefully reflected the moonlight. Even while she slept, he loved her. He planned to gently carry her to bed, tuck her in and wait until morning, but Rapunzel couldn't make that easy. As soon as he touched her, she spooked.

"Ah!" She squealed.

"Ah!" He squealed back. 

Rapunzel sighed in relief, "I'm sorry about that, Eugene."

"No, don't worry about it. I thought you were asleep." 

"No, I was just..." She dropped out mid-sentence. She wasn't quite sure how to say what she was thinking. "Go on..." he encouraged. "Eugene, would it weird if I said...well..." 

"Blondie", he gently interrupted, "before you even continue that sentence, I need you to remember the last few years here. Magic hair that glowed when you sang was weird, that same hair being able to heal wounds was weird, tears that resurrect people was weird, hair that grew back in full length after touching rocks was weird, those same rocks exploding because of your hair was weird, your eyes glowing was weird, cosmic connections of any kind really are weird. There's been plenty of weird. At this point, I'm pretty sure nothing you say would even phase me."

"Eugene, I can feel the moon calling to me." Eugene's eyes widened almost immediately and automatically. "See, not phased at all", he forced through gritted teeth. She sighed sadly, which prompted him to break the stunned look on his face to turn to her with genuine concern. "Well, can you tell what it's trying to say to you?" 

"No, but I can feel it. They're not words exactly, just a feeling. I feel like I'm trying to listen to it, but it just..." She was at a loss for words. Nothing here could help her express this. "...nothing's getting through." He took her hand and told her softly, "You know, I'm pretty sure you are the only person that I would want to be able to talk to the moon, and probably could." She chuckled. "Is there anything we can do?" he advised. "We?" she responded confused. "You can't expect me to let you go alone, Blondie. I'm with you until the end." She gave him a gracious smile. "Thank you." Eugene squeezed her hand. "But I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. It's just a feeling right now." She turned back towards the window. "Well, then it seems to me like we're not quite ready for the moon. Seems to me like it's not time to worry just yet" He advised. She turned back to him. "I suppose you're right. I can't exactly force the moon to talk, can I?" 

"Not with that attitude." 

She giggled softly. Clearly she was tired. He could see it. 

"Well, I should, uh... I should-I should probably let you get back to sleep."

"Hold it!" He stopped dead in his tracks. 

"You came in here for a reason, now spill it, Fitzherbert." He turned back around to her and said, "Ooh, pulling out the Fitzherbert line, huh? All right. You know, that'll apply to you pretty soon." He went right back to where he sat down on the window seat, but this time, he couldn't quite bring himself to look her in the eyes. She scooched herself closer to her fiancé. "You know, I've been over Stalyan for years now." Rapunzel furled her eyebrows in confusion. "I keep thinking back to that scary, forced wedding she planned, and _that_ kept bringing me back to the first one." 

"The one where you left her at the altar."

He scowled. "Right, that one. Now, not to say that I've ever done anything wrong in my life..." 

"You're the picture of perfection, I know", she replied sarcastically.

"Right! It just...made sense that I would want another expert by my side, not to mention the ability to avoid the Baron easily slicing my neck into jerky without a second thought. But...I know that what I did really hurt her." Rapunzel frowned a little at this. "I'm telling you this because...I don't want to do that to you. Ever." Rapunzel hugged his arm. "Are you thinking that might happen?" Eugene looked to her and gently placed his other arm onto her shoulder. "I don't want it to happen. It's just...with Stalyan, there wasn't even a decision. I just made a run for it. No thoughts, nothing, just running as far away from that altar as they possibly could." Rapunzel placed her head on his shoulder, "How old were you when that happened, Eugene?" 

"...I don't think I could have been older than 18." 

"Now you're how old now?"

"26, unfortunately. Thanks, _dad_."

"Could you have imagined me at 18 making a commitment like that?" He remembered pretty clearly her hard denial of that commitment when she was 18. 

"No." He pointed a finger upward, "Not out of lack of trying, mind you."

She smiled at him. "Exactly. You were so young then. Not to mention, you long abandoned Eugene Fitzherbert by 18, right?" He nodded. "So who was that running from the altar then?"

He thought about it for a moment. "That was Flynn Rider."

"What are you thinking then, Flynn Rider?"

He wasn't sure. Flynn Rider had nothing to say. It had only been about 3 years since Eugene gave him up, but Flynn felt so far away. The name felt like mud in his mouth.

"I don't think Flynn can answer that." 

"Then it seems like Flynn Rider won't abandon me at the altar. Does Eugene Fitzherbert want to make a run for it?"

This, he could answer without hesitation, "Absolutely not! I've wanted to be with you for years."

Rapunzel grinned happily. "You see what you said there?"

'Is this what self-reflection is like?' he thought. "I think you're right. Thank you, Blondie." This time she went in for the full hug. "You know I'm a brunette now, right?" He answered, "Just seems fitting. Do you want me to stop that?" 

She thought about it for a couple of seconds before pulling her head away from his shoulder. "...No. It's grown on me." 

"Good."

"I still like 'Sunshine' though."

"I don't think that one's going away either."

"Good." 

"Good." 

There they were. He had the love of his life in his arms. She had hers. Eugene Fitzherbert had no doubts in his mind. This is the one that he'd be with forever. Nothing was going to change that. Nothing was going to change the fact that her lips needed his on them. They reached together for what started as a gentle short kiss, but like wax, they melted pretty quickly into one another. It was a warm and tender kiss, but filled with passion. They quickly sank into the window seat, still embraced passionately. She used all of her willpower to pull her lips away from his, and put her forehead against his. "Can you stay in here tonight? Please?" He gave her one last quick kiss and joked, "Well, because you said please...." She beamed at him "Thank you." He moved off of her to allow her into her bed. She pulled him right into it.

"Good night, Mr. Fitzherbert."

"Good night, Mrs. Fitzherbert." 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In spite of a clumsy, tar-covered horse and chameleon pairing, the wedding and reception still went over well. The staff were incredible. They quickly rebuilt from the mess the two created and recreated the whole cake within 2 hours. They danced and danced the day away. It was official, it was fun, it was exciting to see this chapter of their lives start to unfold. Even with the accident, she took this as a good sign. It's a sign that the two would be able to get through anything that life threw at them. In fact, even with absolute chaos surrounding them, she was only disappointed by one real setback.

Cass was nowhere to be found.

'I guess I never really did get an RSVP from her, did I', she thought. 'Maybe it was stupid to think she would. Maybe she thought we'd boo her out of town. Maybe... she stopped caring. I don't know. I just wish she was here.' But it couldn't be stopped. All that mattered was the dance, the bubbly, and the husband she had to stop from embarrassing himself on a few occasions. It didn't matter. It was her husband. Her _husband_! She loved thinking it. She loved saying it. He also returned the favor on a few occasions. Soon, the guests made their departures back to their rooms, most likely as tipsy as these two were. Double-checking the crowd to make sure Cass definitely didn't show up, she finally decided to head out. A secluded cabin in the forest was awaiting them. According to Queen Arianna, the place is gorgeous, complete with a river flowing gently behind it, fields of flowers growing just outside of the forest, and far enough from civilization that they could be left alone, but close enough that a horse would bring them there, no problem.

The servants brought them their luggage. The happy couple thanked them profusely before turning toward their carriage. Rapunzel, happy, tipsy, and a little disappointed, didn't expect her husband to pick her up bridal style, squealing in a delighted surprise as she was lifted. She looked at her husband while he carried her towards their carriage. He sat her down just in the back while the servants closed the doors behind them. He held her close and moved in for a kiss before seeing the chameleon glowing red and covering his eyes. Rapunzel looked up, seeing that's what stopped them and kindly asked, "Pascal, is there any way you might--" Pascal held up a claw to stop her before crawling out the window and hopping up to Max, who was one of the 2 horses pulling the carriage. Finally alone, they picked up where they left off while the carriage carried them towards their lovely cottage awaiting them.


	2. After The Wedding Bells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The couple enjoys a lovely week of honeymooning until Rapunzel sees a familiar face. Cassandra has a normal one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll just leave this here. Hope you enjoy this one too! I'll probably post more later. CW Blood mention, violence, terrible Italian.

Maximus bolted as fast as he could, knowing full well the stakes of leaving Rapunzel in Gothel's clutches. The forest sped past them as he galloped to the tower. The glen, although gorgeous, was not what he considered a welcome sight. Eugene screamed "Rapunzel?! Rapunzel, let down your hair!" No response. He looked for cracks in the walls to use, knowing how little the chances of this succeeding were, but he had to try something. Thankfully, the hair made it's way down. Relieved she was here, he grabbed the golden locks and began his ascent. He reached the top, grabbed onto the window sill, and hopped into the tower. "I thought I'd never see you again." 

Darkness.

He found a dark and empty room. Where was she? He looked behind him, noticed that the window doors shut behind him and that the once-golden locks turned brown in his hand. He dropped it in shock, but followed the path of brown hair, leading him straight for whom he was looking. He found her. She was hunched over someone, singing her familiar incantation through tears. _Heal what has been hurt,_ she sang grimly. He walked towards her in fear. Who was she singing that too? _Change the fate's design,_ He dropped next to her. "Rapunzel?" Before he could say or do much more, he finally saw who she sang this to so sadly; there laid Eugene Fitzherbert, stained in blood, cold and limp, being cradled by his wife. His pulse quickened, his breath became labored, he felt horror for the first time in a while. "Rapunzel, I'm right here! Look at me!" No effect. _Save what has been lost,_ He went to hold Rapunzel only to have his hands phase through her body. He felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, looked down and saw why; Gothel's souvenir for visiting the tower came back to bite him, and it was bleeding through his shirt. He fell to the floor writhing in pain. "Rapunzel...please..." _Bring back what once was mine,_ He reached out one arm for her. "Rapunzel..." _What once was mine._ He gasped for breath. Nothing was working. He was dying again. He didn't want to die again. "Now look what you've done." Out of the darkness of shadow, Gothel stepped out in stride. Rapunzel gasped and turned around to see her decrepit, old form appear again, and was rewarded for her timing with chains to her wrists. "No!" he yelled in agony. She struggled to escape the chains while Gothel walked over to Eugene to pull a knife that he could have sworn wasn't there a few moments ago sharply from his wound. He yelped in pain. "Now for you to go where no one will find you!" she roared before covering her mouth with her hand and driving the knife towards Rapunzel's abdomen. 

"STOP!" he wailed.

It would seem he was wailing this to no one because just one blink later, he found himself somewhere else. 'No, this isn't the tower. This isn't the castle though. Where am I?' he thought in his haze. Reality came back to him in a second so he could remember that in fact, he was in a cottage. Then he remembered he was in the cottage because he was on his honeymoon. His honeymoon with who? His honeymoon with Rapunzel, that's right. Before he turned around to see if she was still sleeping next to him, he felt a warm hand on his back. "Are you okay?" Rapunzel asked worriedly. It also hit him that he just screamed seemingly out of nowhere at 2 in the morning. Was he embarrassed or what?. "Oh, yeah. Yeah, of course, I'm fine", he answered through shortened breath. Rapunzel, not entirely believing him, asked "Do you want me to make you some tea? I think I saw some chamomile in the kitchen shelves." Eugene chuckled a little. "No, that's okay, it was...it was just a bad dream, that's all." Rapunzel rubbed his back softly. "Aw, I'm sorry." He gave a half-smile, not really sure what to say. "Do you want to talk about it?" 

'And say what? I had a dream that I watched you die?' he thought. "No, that's okay. I, uh, I don't even remember it now."

"Oh, all right."

She laid back down to get back to sleep, and he followed in kind. He waited a second before he grabbed her shoulder and said, "Hey." She turned to look at him. "I love you." She smiled softly and sleepily. "I love you too." 

"Just...just gotta make sure you know. No better time to tell you really."

"I certainly can't think of one." 

He smirked a little bit and kissed her forehead. "Good night." 

"Good night." She closed her eyes to attempt to sleep again. He usually slept on his side, so he had the privilege of watching her return to sleep. It didn't take too long for him for him to start feeling bad for lying to her. Not only did he vividly remember his dream, but in fact, it was recurring. 'It was three years ago. I shouldn't still be thinking about this. She clearly got over it, so why can't I?' he thought. He managed to get himself back to sleep after having to swallow guilt. He justified it, thinking it's a honeymoon. This could make her sad too, and we need to be happy, dammit!

Sunlight appeared on the peaks of the mountain cliffs watching over the cottage in the distance, which signaled the awakening of birds, small animals, and Rapunzel. She found herself curled into her husband's warm body, almost forgetting what happened some hours earlier. She decided to give him a few minutes, enjoying the warmth and the peace that comes with dawn. She listened to birds chirp, trees rustling in the morning breeze, and Eugene's pulse. 'I'm married', she thought. 'This is my husband. I'm his wife. Oh my sun, I'm with a prince. Or, a prince-consort, I guess. It doesn't matter. What matters is the reason we came here; one whole week _alone_. No castle, no rules, no one else, just me and him. This is going to be the best week of our lives. It has to be. We're never getting this again.' Suddenly, an idea strikes her. 'OOH, what about a picnic on that river? That would be so nice! Let me see what we have.' Before she could shoot out of the bed like she wanted to, she remembered the husband of whom she was lying on top. She gently rose up and covered him with the rest of the blankets so he could stay warm, then got down to business. She started the process with a good muffin mix and other fresh ingredients to make some delicious selections for their breakfast picnic. A delicious array of muffins, egg dishes, pancakes, fruit, and juice were spread across the table, and she was quite proud of it. "Hm?" she heard a groggy voice utter. She turned behind her to watch the prince-consort finally wake up. He had a much different view. The sun helped this beautiful figure just feet away from him shine just as bright. The smell was also quite helpful to the scenery. "What's cookin', good lookin'?" he asked sleepily. She giggled, ran to the bed to hop onto it and kissed her love on the cheek. "Good morning...your highness", she greeted coyly. "Ooh, I could get used to that. One more time for me there, please." 

"Your Royal Highness, Prince-Consort Eugene Fitzherbert Der Sonne. How's that?"

"That was fantastic, Blondie. But of course, not as fantastic as last night." She started blushing with a smile. "I mean it, that was-" he paused to give a chef's kiss "-- _magnifico!_ " She giggled a little. "You know, I just started Italian lessons at the castle. You could help me keep up by telling me things in Italian", she suggested slyly. He was more than happy to oblige. 

_"Non riesco a respirare senza di te",_ he whispered in her ear. 

She loved it. "One more."

_"Il mio amore per te non morirá mai."_

She let out another giggle. "I lied, one more, please."

_"Dammi venti pezzi d'oro."_

She liked it for half a second before dropping her expression to say "Wait, that doesn't sound right...". Eugene started to laugh very hard at this, so Rapunzel yelled playfully, "Wait, what did you say?!" which only made him laugh harder. She pounced on top of him and hugged his shoulders, again asking, "What did you say, FItzherbert?!" He turned his head to hers and booped her nose. "I said 'give me twenty gold pieces'." She scoffed at this, ruffled his hair and replied, "You are unbelievable." Eugene smoothed out his now messed up hair. "That's why you love me." She hopped off the bed to return to packing the picnic basket. "To be fair, you would have really liked the other two things I said," he attempted to justify while following her to the table. "You can tell me those things in English later, maybe during our picnic."

"Picnic?"

"Yup. Look at that outside. It's gorgeous. It'd be a shame to let that go to waste."

"Well, if it comes with all this delicious food, then I am one hundred percent on board. Where were you thinking?"

"That river behind this cottage seems to lead to a really nice view from what I saw on the carriage. I think we should head there."

"I couldn't agree more. May I?"

He helped her prepare the basket and found a blanket to use for their eating, then opened the door for Rapunzel while she carried the basket, and lead the couple to the spot she mentioned. To no one's surprise, it was a beautiful spot to eat. It lead to a small pool that fed back into the ocean nearby. They enjoyed a lovely breakfast, admiring the view as well as one another. The best part was that the pool also acted as a good source of cool, fresh water. This worked swimmingly until one small slip-up led to him falling face first into the pool. Once he came back up and spat out some water, he was greeted to Rapunzel laughing hysterically. Fortunately for him, she was laughing just a little too close to the pool, so he took the opportunity to pull her in with him, with a small scream of surprise to follow. He helped her pull up to the surface and laughed hysterically himself. He was rewarded with a splash of cold river water to his face. He didn't quite care, as he was already freezing in the water, but was still tickled this worked out as well as it did. He climbed out of the pool and helped her up, then took the picnic towel to give her to dry up. "I don't want you to get sick on our honeymoon", she said after he offered. "Eh, I'll be fine. Besides, I don't like seeing you shiver like that." He wrapped the towel over her and embraced her. "Body warmth", he explained. She chuckled a little. "That would probably help both of us." She turned around to hug him in the picnic blanket herself. "I'm glad we get to do this" Rapunzel admitted. "Me too, Sunshine. Me too." They stood in that spot in their embrace for a few minutes before agreeing to go back to the cottage to warm up there instead, leaving behind a stunning view, but now aware of a future beach trip. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was one kingdom left to go to that wasn't quite aware of Cassandra's crimes- The kingdom of Harriston. It meant crossing some oceans here and there, and climbing some mountains, but it was worth it. Exile was not easy when other surrounding kingdoms believed her to be a massive threat. Her work as a guard came in handy as she made her living through bounty-hunting, chasing down criminals in Harriston and returning them with relative ease. The moonstone was gone, but not the fighting experience she developed with it. A beautiful morning kissed the kingdom, awakening Cass and prompting her usual routine of a vigorous run up the mountain after breakfast. She helped in building her own cabin in the mountains, so a mountain run seemed perfect every morning. It provided the challenge she needed, although sometimes, she needed it a little too much, to the point of nearly fainting in exhaustion. Cassandra hated when this happened. 

"Come on, Cassandra, get up. Get UP! Why are you like this?!" she reprimanded to herself. "On your feet, soldier!" She used whatever force she could muster to bring herself to her feet. The mountain only had a roaring wind to congratulate her ability to force herself back up. "You can't keep being this weak, Cassandra! You can't! You're worthless like this." She looked forward, but couldn't bring herself to move forward. As much as she wanted to move forward, she also knew the mountains were not very kind to people who fall unconscious in their mists, so the former knight bravely returned home to their humble cabin. She sat for a few minutes, deciding it might be best to skip strength training, especially since her run took her much longer than she anticipated. What mattered was that after she had a few minutes to let her legs stop feeling like jelly, she needed to get to town to check the postings, see if there were any wanted posters, and to see if the baker had that bread she liked. She liked the baker, and particularly liked the baker's daughter, Iris, a woman with kind brown eyes, skin like deep copper, and beautiful curly hair that had such personality attached to each ringlet. She always looked forward to seeing Iris. So much so, in fact, that she decided the legs no longer felt like jelly as far as she's concerned, and grabbed some coin to go to town and get some bread. 

The people there slowly grew to appreciate Cass. She's performed quite a few favors for them all, and has saved them from some minor dangers on more than one occasion, such as thieves, vagabonds, con-men. When she comes into town, people greet her kindly, although still curious about her origins. She didn't like to give her background. Something about her past tells her that if they knew, they might stop liking her so much. For the time being, she accepted the 'good-mornings' and 'hello's' that passed her ears, and responded in kind as she walked towards the town board to see if anything might have come up accordingly. Nothing yet. That lasted for all of a few seconds.

"Stop! Thief!"

Cassandra could recognize Iris' voice from anywhere, and quickly turned around to see the perpetrator cloaked in black dash across the square. The protective woman couldn't let someone like her face such injustice, and made a run for the criminal holding a bag of money and wielding a sword on their back. The thief quickly noticed their pursuer and knew it was time to begin the outmaneuvering portion of the robbery. They started with a hop over a nearby bench, which Cassandra followed exactly. They attempted to lose her through a patch of trees nearby, hoping to lose her in the thick- a pointless tactic for a woman who lives as a hermit in a forest. They had one last option; a nearby boat gently rolled along the river and a drawbridge that was about to begin it's ascension to allow the boat to pass without trouble. The ruffian quickly made the run for it while the guards lifted the stony bridge, finding it a pretty successful tactic as Cassandra was left with only a drawbridge wall and a thief cackling in delight as the boat continued to row along. Cassandra wouldn't take this lightly. She found a metal farm tool that would work pretty well as a weird, multipronged spear, and attempted to beat the boat in it's path. She ran far to reach a vantage point. She knew one of two things would happen: she would either fall into the river and potentially lose her chance to stop them, or she would make it onto the boat, which could get ugly. Knowing which option she'd rather take, Cassandra made the leap of faith into the unknown. She closed her eyes, unsure what she might feel underneath her, but hoping it would be something good. Perhaps something heard her prayers because she soon felt wood under her feet. She made the landing rather successfully, farm tool/weapon in hand. 

"All right, bounty hunter."

Cassandra looked to her right as she was on the bow of the boat. The thief pulled out the sword from the sheath on their back and walked menacingly towards her. The cloak still covered their eyes, only a mouth moving could be seen under the shadow. 

"You want me, you got me. Let's dance." 

Cassandra held out the farm tool in front of her, which led to the thief cackling. 

"What kind of weapons are you people using to chase thieves now? Really?" 

They raised the sword, ready to use it. 

"Have some dignity."

Cassandra blocked their first blow. 

"You first, thief."

So the two of them began a dance of avoiding each other's blows. They thrust left, she hopped right. She struck from above, they ducked below and rolled forward, kicking her legs to make her lose balance and drop her to the floor. Once on the ground, the cloaked stranger held the sword to her face. 

"What do you even want with me? Has the kingdom even had a chance to put up a picture of my beautiful visage yet?" they asked.

"Sometimes, you don't need to be motivated by money."

"You have a better motivator?" 

She rolled out of the way, using the side of the boat to quickly hop up to her feet, and attempted to strike again, but they deftly avoided the strike. They swung the sword down onto her face, she blocked with the farm tools handle, and used their force to lower the weapons.

"I'm not stopping this anytime soon."

"And I'm not giving up the gold. I need this!" 

A different voice piped in from the distance, "Cass!"

They turned to the right to see her favorite guardsman, Jacob, with his familiar broad shoulders, dark brown beard and long brown hair. 

"Quit fighting with farm tools, and use this!" He tossed a spear in her direction. She hopped up and grabbed it mid-air and then made her descent back down gracefully. Little did they realize, Cassandra just got a second ally to hop onto the boat. "All right, now drop the sword, thief!" 

Realizing they were outnumbered, and the other option was to jump into a freezing cold river and drown, potentially losing the money they worked so hard for, they took the first one and dropped the sword. 

Behind them, a petrified old ship captain held onto the steering wheel. "Uh...wha...?" Cassandra kept her new spear on the enemy, while Jacob approached the mariner.

"Don't worry, we'll keep you safe. For now, we're coming up to a dock with guardsmen waiting for the criminal here if you wouldn't mind pulling into it."

The old man nodded, and kept steering the boat as it reached towards the wooden port. As promised, the guardsmen were waiting with chains to apprehend their hero, and did so gladly. Cassandra grabbed the bag of money from the boat and walked onto the port to meet with Jacob while the other guards continued their prosecution. 

"Nice one there. What were you thinking though? A pitchfork to fight a swords fighter? Really?" Jacob teased.

"It's better than going in unarmed. Thanks for your help back there, by the way."

"My pleasure, rather see the criminal lose." 

Cassandra smirked at the thief as he was led into a wagon for transporting prisoners. Cassandra walked up to the wagon to talk to the loser of their duel and ask them one question.

"Who are you?"

The thief kept the cloak on their head, but looked in her direction. 

"Sure, now you ask."

Cassandra scowled at him. "Look, they're going to get your name a lot more forcefully than I am. Might as well tell me now."

The thief waited a moment. "It's Keelan. That's all you need to know."

"That's all I could ask for", she responded, but took pause when she looked closer. The mouth wasn't familiar, but there was something about the jaw line, and the voice. She couldn't recognize them, but a few moments to process brought the realization forward.

She just fought a teenager.

"All right, boys, let's roll!" yelled one of the guardsmen leading the wagon. The wagon began it's slow roll away from the riverside, carrying away the teenaged stranger to who only knows. She couldn't help, but be a little disappointed; after all, they reminded her a little of someone she once knew from Corona. 'Wait, I'm not missing him of all people right now, right? Ugh' she thought. Her thought process was interrupted by the heavy breathing of a horse in her ear with Jacob on it's saddle. 

"I'm sure you've got other plans, but I think that bag of gold might need to be returned first." 

Cassandra looked up to him. "Yeah, that's the plan."

"Hop on, and I'll bring you back to Harriston Crown Square." 

She used the saddle to hop behind Jacob and held onto him and the gold while they led her back to the town square and the abode of the kindly baker and his daughter, who were more than happy to see Cass return unharmed and to hear the tale of how she got the gold back.

"I'm serious, Cass, that was incredible! I thought it was gone for sure!" said the baker, whose name was Jack.

"Eh, well, I don't give up too easily."

"So they made you hop onto a boat, and you fought them with a pitchfork?!" asked Iris amazedly.

"Yeah. Gotta admit, not my wisest decision." 

"Cass, I'm so proud of you," she said kindly while taking her hand, "I never would have thought I'd see you do something like this when you first came. It's awesome!" 

Cassandra blushed, "Thanks..."

"So why are you beating yourself up?"

"Huh?"

"You keep making it seem as though you didn't just do the most incredible thing I've ever heard of in my life. It's amazing! _You're_ amazing, Cass."

She couldn't help but giggle at her enthusiasm. "...So are you", she responded. Iris blushed. "I, uh, I should probably get going."

"Hold on!"

Cass stopped her advance and Iris used this to run in front of her quickly. 

"We approved this for you. This would have been the reward we would have offered for the thief anyway." She held out a small pouch filled with coins. 

"Oh no, that's okay, really." 

"Cass," she took her hand and placed the pouch into it, "take it."

They couldn't help but look at each others eyes. Iris always had endearing eyes, easy to get lost in. Iris found it easy to look into hers, not for the color, but for the person behind them. She always looked forward to Cass' trips to the bakery.

Cass cleared her throat. "Uh, thank you. I appreciate it." Iris cleared hers in return and said, "Yeah, no problem, of course." They laughed nervously. "I'll-I'll see you later, Iris." She opened the door, which gave it's usual jovial jingle, then took a step outside when she heard Iris one more time. 

"Cass?"

"Yes?"

She hesitated for a moment. "Come back soon. Please."

Cass nodded with a kind smile, and left outside the door. Iris couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. 

Cass used her newly earned coin to buy ingredients for dinner, and made her way back up to the cabin, ready to heat up her oven with her firewood. After a chase like that, she definitely didn't mind some time to relax and enjoy a hot meal, but before she could light the fire, she heard a knock. 'Who could that be?' she thought and went to open the door.

A different cloaked figure appeared at the door.

"May I come in?"

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The next week of Rapunzel and Eugene's honeymoon was everything they could have asked for in a honeymoon. No guards (Max was more than enough), no royal responsibility, nothing but the two of them exploring the natural wonders that surrounded them. Rapunzel adored it all. They hiked up hills, counted stars at night, enjoyed picking flowers, and had some lovely picnics in new spots, Rapunzel used the environment as artistic inspiration, including some lovely portraits of Eugene. There were also some lovely nights with magnificent performance. All those years sneaking into Rapunzel's room was worth it, they thought. For Eugene, the man who had been everywhere and seen everything, there wasn't much of anywhere he was particularly excited to visit, and didn't think they'd be too thrilled to see him anyway, so when the queen suggested the cabin and saw Rapunzel loved that idea, he was quickly on board. In any case, the only thing that mattered was that she was enjoying herself. If she was happy, he was right there to make her happier. After all, she was the only sight that mattered. 

On the last day of their honeymoon, they enjoyed a nice trip to the beach about a few miles away from the cottage. Rapunzel stayed on the sand, enjoying the sun and water, just happy to be there, while Eugene floated in the calm waters. She dug her hands into the sand. 'This has been wonderful,' she thought, 'I don't want this to end.' Her fingers digging into the sand felt something. "Ooh, another shell!" she announced as she pulled the object out of the sand. It was a strange little shell. Perhaps it wasn't even a shell, but a stone. It was a green stone with a yellow and blue swirl pattern engraved in the middle. "Hm, interesting." It was a simple stone, and nothing else. So why did she keep staring into it?

"Blondie!"

She moved her focus to the swimming husband in the water ahead of her.

"Come on in! The water's fine!" he yelled.

She smiled brightly. Of course she would. She dropped the stone, removed the thin covering over her bikini and hopped into the water. The stone twinkled in the sun.

The night came and went quickly. Their bags were packed, their carriage had the luggage ready to go. All that was left was to return to their kingdom and resume their royal duties as necessary. "All right, sunshine, we've got a trip ahead of us. Are you ready?" Eugene asked as he walked back into the cottage to retrieve his wife. She was hunched over on her bed. Silent as a stone.

"Uh, Blondie? You all right?"

Silence.

He walked towards her to see why she was so quiet. "Rapunzel, we need to go." He looked at her hands and saw a green stone with a yellow and blue swirl pattern etched into it. This kind of thing has made Eugene nervous in the past and for good reason. She took a hand to her shoulder and shook her gently. "Rapunzel!" he called to her. He regretted doing that. She turned her head quickly and flashed Eugene glowing blue eyes, not unlike her form after the Sundrop incantation. He shrieked and fell to the floor, crawling backwards. This was enough to make Rapunzel snap out of her blue eyed trance and drop the stone. She gasped and saw Eugene on the floor, who now sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness", he said sounding very relieved. Confused, she asked, "What happened?" Eugene looked to the stone and said, "That happened!" She looked back towards it. "I'm...I'm so sorry, Eugene," she said. He lifted himself off the floor. "Hey, it's all right. No harm done. Just a little spooked." She continued to look rather concernedly at the stone. "Do you know what that stone is?" asked Eugene.

"No. I don't know what it is, but it showed me something important."

"What?"

"Cass is in trouble."

Eugene widened his eyes in shock and looked to the stone.

The honeymoon was over.


	3. A Glimpse of Yesterday and Tomorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mysterious green stone has shown Rapunzel a vision of Cass. The stone didn't want to leave Eugene out of the fun either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been picturing a lot about what would happen immediately after the scene where Rapunzel's reunited with her parents, so here's this chapter. I have more that I'll split up across chapters. Also, side note, I tend to be a little facetious when I write, so there tend to be redundancies for comedic purposes.

Pascal had a boring week as far as he was concerned. There wasn't much reason for him to invade their honeymoon, except for the fact that Rapunzel refused to leave him alone; before, it was just out of principle- if Rapunzel goes, so does Pascal. No forethought necessary. Max was necessary as a guard, but Pascal could have stayed at the castle...until he helped destroy their reception. Now it was a matter of personal safety as he's positive no one would look upon the plucky chameleon too kindly after the incident, hence, the honeymoon crashing. That being said, he respected privacy, so he found other things that chameleons do, he supposed. Swimming in the river, hunting for bugs, mixing cocktails, playing cards with Max (and beating him- you can't get better at cards than someone who was in a tower for 10 years), he did it all. Regardless, he could sense danger a mile away, and sense it, he did. He scurried into the cottage and crawled up to Rapunzel's shoulder, and placed his head on her cheek affectionately. She rubbed his back gently in return. It was time for Pascal to do what Pascal does best. 

"So what did it show?" Eugene asked.

"It wasn't entirely clear. I saw Cass, and she was backing away from something. She didn't have a weapon on her, so I don't know if she was caught off-guard, or if she was disarmed, or if something else happened", Rapunzel recounted, "But then I saw someone. They were wearing a black cloak. They..." She dropped out. 

Rapunzel made it no secret in the last week that she was mad that Cassandra never came to the wedding. First, she didn't bother to write more than 1 letter in the time after she left. Then, she never responded to the wedding invitation, which she worked incredibly hard to make sure that she could have and use; it meant extra security surrounding her, but it would have been worth it to see her again. She presumed that she was coming, because why wouldn't she? She's her best friend. No RSVP was truly needed, but apparently, it was needed. She felt betrayed again-not to the level when Cassandra took the moonstone, but still, nothing about what she did here felt great. It felt like she forgot about her.

So seeing what she saw felt like a double punch to the gut.

"You don't have to finish that if you don't want to, Rapunzel."

She looked to him, tears welling up in her eyes.

"They had a sword with blood on it..." she choked out. "Eugene, I'm-I'm a terrible person..." Eugene took the opportunity to embrace her into his chest to let her cry it out. "I can't believe I was so mad at her. No wonder she couldn't make it." she sobbed. "Hey, there was no way you could have known that." Eugene had been very careful with jokes surrounding Cass's personality since her exile from Corona, knowing the sensitive nature of the topic of Cassandra to Rapunzel. He still had personal feelings relating to her nature as a person, and to the things she did to him and Rapunzel, but he wasn't going to joke now. She pulled herself out of the hug and wiped away the tears stinging her eyes. "Look, this is you we're talking about here. If anyone can figure out what happened to her, it's you, babe." Rapunzel, still looking concerned, posited this counter, "And if I don't?" Eugene placed his hand gently on her cheek and answered, "That's not an option when it comes to you. Clearly, that stone thing is dropping hints, trying to lead you somewhere, and you're not one to back away from a challenge. As far I'm concerned, our new destiny is to find her." Rapunzel looked back to him, and waited a few moments before saying, "You're right. I have to at least try." She got up and lifted up Eugene from the bed. "We need to get back to the castle!" Eugene couldn't have agreed more. The two of them hopped onto the carriage and closed the door, careful not to make the luggage move around too much. "Max, double time now! We got a mystery to solve" ordered the Prince-Consort. Max whinnied in affirmation and began his gallop across the beautiful fields. Rapunzel watched their honeymoon grow farther and farther away from the carriage windows, but knew it was a necessary sacrifice. Cass was in trouble, nothing was more important than that. 

_Some time 3 years ago..._

The four of them finally broke from their group hug, as tender and loving as it was to all four of them. They could have stayed in that position for a long time if they were able, but they had too many questions to keep the position for too long. Eugene backed off a little from the group while the King held Rapunzel's hands and the Queen placed her hand behind her shoulders. "My daughter," the king said calmly, "My daughter is finally returned to us. I...I missed you so much, my dear." Rapunzel could only smile and look up to his face. She knew she was looking at another kind man, a warm and gentle man. When Rapunzel just kept looking at him, Arianna piped in with, "Did...she change your name? What do you call yourself?" Rapunzel looked to her direction and answered, "She named me Rapunzel." Her Majesty breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the sun, that's what we named you." Rapunzel giggled softly at this. "Rapunzel," the King started, "we have so many questions, so many things to show you. We have a lot of work to do; we need to find you a governess, get a wardrobe made for you, assign a lady-in-waiting to you, figure out proper chameleon care (Pascal was waiting on the railing, eyeing his Majesty) and of course-" 

"Frederic," Arianna interjected, "She just got here, so I'm _sure_ we can settle some of these things later, don't you think?" Frederic cleared his throat, "Of course. Yes, you're absolutely right. My dear, what I care about now is that you're home and you're safe. I promise...I will _never_ allow anything to happen to you again as long as you're here." Rapunzel was beaming. Frederic moved his hand to the direction of the door. "Please, won't you come in?" Rapunzel nodded and the King placed his arm around her shoulders, and lead her into the castle while the Queen followed suit. Eugene watched the trio walk into the castle, and flooded his head with all sorts of thoughts. 'Well, that's that. You did the right thing, Eugene. She'll never talk to you again though. I don't know what you were expecting. She only kissed you because she was excited after all, right? And she only called you her "New Dream" because you were dying, that has to be it. Why would she love someone after 3 days? Why would _you_ love someone after 3 days, you hopeless romantic? None of that even mattered. You heard what he said, he'll _never_ allow anything to happen to her ag-'

"Young man," called the Queen. 

She brought him from the chasm he was starting to form in his mind. 

"Won't you come in?" The three of them were looking to him from the doorway.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. Why was she inviting a thief like him into the castle?

"Come on, Eugene! They're going to show us the castle!" The parents looked to their daughter curiously. "Eugene?" they questioned, slowly moving their head toward Rapunzel.

"OH! Uh, of-of course, your Majesties." 

Eugene kept his hands to his back and his head down and walked cautiously into the doorway, then couldn't help but look up to see the massive expanse he just walked into. Rapunzel seemed just as impressed, and took the time to ask some questions herself. "So, Dad-or uh, your Majesty? Is that right? What-what would I call you? King Dad?" He gave a hearty but kind laugh. He was clearly happy to see she was ready to start asking the important questions. "'Dad'...is perfect." She smiled and nodded, "Perfect...Dad." She giggled at this. 'Dad' would take a little while to get used to, but she was warming up pretty quickly. "And you can call me 'Mom' if that helps you", the Queen explained. "That does help! Thank you, Moth- UH, mom! Mom...sorry." She raised an eyebrow at her daughter's reaction, but she assumed just that this was new, so she let her have time to adjust. The now-found princess kept marveling at everything they passed. Her father calmly regaled to her the history in these halls, past kings and queens, artists who graced the walls with their portraits. What they didn't realize was awaiting them was the reaction the Lost Princess would have to the next room- the west wing gallery. Rapunzel walked into a room surrounded entirely by art; it would have taken the whole of the guard to stop her from running to the giant painting of sunflowers first thing after one long gasp. "Dad, who did this one? It's gorgeous! What did they use? Is that oil?" Frederic was ecstatic, for his daughter was an artist. He had the biggest grin on his face; he was more than happy to tell Rapunzel about the sunflower painting hanging in the middle of the gallery. "Why, his name is Giacomo Balducci. Truth be told, this is the most unique of all of our pieces in here, because as royals, we typically receive artists who have gone to the finest schools with years of Academy training, but this one, we found in a different town outside of Corona called Vardaros- a gorgeous place when we went years ago. Balducci was a simple street artist at the time, and your mother and I just couldn't resist. We watched Balducci paint the portrait himself as a matter of fact. He used an interesting combination to create this one..." He continued the explanation of Balducci's techniques to his very excited daughter. Eugene and Arianna witnessed everything from the back, near the hallway they were about to walk into before Rapunzel became distracted by this room of her dreams. Eugene eyed her while she was her asking her questions and running to each painting, happy to see Rapunzel enjoy this room as much as she did. 'I should show her the museum Harriston one day, she'll love it.' Eugene thought. 

"I don't think I've seen Frederic this happy in years." 

Eugene realized she was talking to him rather than herself. "Oh, uh, I'm sure, your Majesty", he responded nervously. "I can only hope she'll take to the library like this. It's one of my favorites in the castle." Eugene gave an amused smile to the Queen, and responded "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, your Majesty." Arianna raised her eyebrows at his comment. "You have a lot to tell me about your adventures with my daughter, Flynn Rider." Eugene's eyes widened in horror. So she did know. So why on Earth was he not being surrounded by guards, and tossed head first into a jail cell he kept asking himself. Are they down the next hall? Was he lead into a clever trap?

"You can relax, Rider. We wouldn't dream of hanging the man who rescued our daughter, even with your background", she assured. 

Eugene sighed in relief, but through his nose, so hopefully she wouldn't notice that he was a large ball of nerves. She did. "It wouldn't be proper to do that to a potential suitor, either." Eugene jerked his head to her direction in response to this. "Suitor?! Oh! Uh..." She held up a hand to save him from further embarrassment. "I saw the way you were looking at her just now...and how she looked at you before. She clearly thinks highly of you." Eugene chuckled a little at this and looked up to Rapunzel, who's now admiring a portrait of a woman in a field of flowers. "And...I think pretty highly of her too, your Majesty. Do you really think..." Arianna smirked at him and waited a moment before continuing. "Now this would come with a full pardon as we can't let a princess date a felon after all," she explained much to Eugene's surprise, "BUT...don't think you'll be let off the hook. We fully expect you to pay for your actions to our satisfaction. Is that clear?" Eugene nodded. "Yes, your Majesty." He paused for a moment before saying, "and thank you. Truly, I mean it." Eugene looked back to Rapunzel who was in the middle of a hug with her father. "I love this, dad." He returned the hug with a gentle love that a great father could give easily. "I have so much to show you. I should take you to the museum in Harriston one day. I think you'd love it." She gasped in delight, "I would LOVE that! Where's Harriston?" He laughed heartily at this, "I'd be delighted to take you there. It is a ways away, unfortunately, so this would have to be a special trip. I believe settling you into the castle comes first." She nodded, still grinning happily from enjoying the art with her father. She turned around and ran straight for Eugene, who was watching her with a happy twinkle in his eye. She took him in a happy embrace and asked him, "Isn't this place wonderful, Eugene?" He laughed sweetly and answered, "It sure is, Rapunz-" but stopped, realizing how incredibly informal he, a commoner, was acting towards a princess. 

"-zzzzzyyyyour Highness! Heh." He quickly removed his hands from her, and put them behind his back,

Rapunzel was confused for a half a second before realizing why he did what he did. "OH, oh yes! Thank you, uh, subject! It would be absolutely inappropriate to address a-a princess like that, huh?" She quickly turned to her mother, unsure and hoped to confirm, "Right? Is that inappropriate?" Arianna clearly was holding back obscene laughter unbecoming of a Queen, but did her best to mask it with grace and dignity. "Oh, I think we'll love having you here. And you as well...Eugene, am I correct?" Eugene nodded. "Now, Frederic, you took her into one of your favorite rooms, I think a visit to mine is in order." 

"Ah yes, the royal library. How do you feel about literature, my dear?" 

Rapunzel immediately ran up to her father who stood just a little ahead of the group and inquired with wonder, "How big is it?" Arianna smiled brightly and could only tell her, "I think we'll just have to show you. It's hard to overstate the size." Eugene was also excited to see the royal library. Books were a great way to pass time in the orphanage, and a life of thievery simply didn't leave time to peruse through new releases. Once they opened the doors to the library, she immediately ran to look through the shelves and discover everything she missed. Arianna was quick to show her some of the favorites she had collected over the years- romances, adventure stories, comedies, dramas, she knew many and loved them all. Her Majesty loved discussing the offerings with her newly arrived daughter. _"Three books?"_ the queen asked in complete dismay, to which Rapunzel could only stare down at the floor and nod. Eugene, not far behind the two of them, was also disgusted by Gothel's neglect. They had plenty of books in an orphanage for crying out loud; how cruel it was of her to keep her from these fantastic worlds. Before he could curse Gothel out, he found a book that piqued his interest: a copy of "The Tales of Flynnigan Rider", the title embroidered with a golden thread. His eyes twinkled at the sight of the adventure book. Memories came flooding back into his mind of him dramatically reading Flynnigan's lines in the story to the younger children as he held it in his hands. 

"So that's how you came about the name."

The King towered over him. Eugene turned his head to look at him, and nervously confirmed, "Oh, yes, your Majesty. It was, uh, a favorite of mine as a child." He continued to look down to the former thief silently. The former thief placed the book back into the bookshelf and backed away from it slowly. "Rider, I'm well aware of the crimes that you have committed, including stealing the crown", Frederic growled. The good, gentle father that embraced him a half an hour ago was gone. The King of Corona was speaking to him now. Eugene gulped. "But, this is an immense service that not even my highly trained soldiers could perform; it cannot be overlooked. Not to mention Rapunzel... Hm, I will have to ponder this." Eugene stayed silent. "We'll have much to discuss after dinner." Eugene nodded. He walked away slowly to approach his wife and daughter, laughing over the books they found together. Eugene's heart dropped to his stomach. Clearly, one thinks of him differently than the other one does. 'So am I in trouble or not?', he thought, "Maybe it's not too late to make a run for it, before I let them get me.' He looked to the door. 'So why aren't I running for it right now?' Before he could answer that to himself, he heard Rapunzel call for him. He pivoted in the opposite direction and noticed what Rapunzel was holding. "This is that book you were talking about!" she announced, and ran towards him. "Isn't this it?" She held it in front of him. Frederic and Arianna were walking back towards Rapunzel ready to show her some more of the castle before dinnertime. "Yeah, that's...that's the book, Princess", he answered queasily, still spooked by his interaction with King Frederic. Frederic let out a hearty "Ho-ho!" and continued on, "Yes, I believe I caught him perusing it just a few moments ago. He should come back and read it again, don't you think?" Rapunzel grinned and told her friend, "I'll even come back with you. You should read it to me like you did with the orphans." The king and queen raised their eyebrows at that statement. "You read to orphans?" Arianna asked puzzled. "Well, yes, your Majesty, I did...for some years, as a matter of fact." She looked back to the king, clearly amazed someone like Flynn Rider would do such thing. "I'm looking forward to dinner more and more the longer you two are here", replied her Majesty. Rapunzel giggled at that. "I believe now is the time to show you to your room, my dear. We'll simply have to go on another tour of the castle tomorrow, or maybe even after dinner. I think that'll depend on how stuffed we are after dinner', suggested Frederic as he lead the way. "We prepared your room some years ago. I hope we made it to your liking", he explained morosely. Rapunzel scurried to catch up to him and held his arm while he walked away. Eugene stared down the Flynnigan Rider book, something he treasured dearly in childhood, then placed it down on the table, and followed the happy family. 

_Present day_

"Rapunzel", she heard in the distance. "Rapunzel!" She jolted up. She was in the honeymoon carriage. She was married. She was sitting right next to her husband, looking at her with concern. "You know, the more you look at that thing, the more I worry. Will your eyes be okay with all the glowing?" Rapunzel didn't even realize the stone caught her in another trance. "I...I didn't even notice. I'm sorry, Eugene. It just...it showed me a memory, but it was really weird." Eugene, confused, ask, "What was it?" Rapunzel smiled and looked to the Prince-Consort's eyes. "It was when you brought me home." Clearly embarrassed, he chuckled a little and rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, that was, uh, that was a really nice night." 

"Eugene, were you really thinking all of that?"

His face froze, eyes wide and heart beating fast. "It...Did that thing give you my _thoughts?_?" he asked anxiously. She nodded with guilt, "I didn't mean to, it just...happened." He sighed in frustration. A stone ratted him out. "Well...yeah. I did think that...at first." He took her hand and tried to reassure her, "But I don't think that at all anymore. I know now, I love you so much, and-and I know you love me." Rapunzel giggled, "Of course I do, and I know you love me. I can't just judge you for something you thought three years ago." Eugene sighed out a laugh. "Good, I'm-I'm glad you're not mad at me." Rapunzel rested herself against his shoulder, which he opened to let her into his arm. "I'm not mad at you for that, of course not. I was nervous too, you know." This surprised him a little. "Really?" Rapunzel responded, "Well, yeah. I just get to a castle I don't remember ever being in before, surrounded by these people who absolutely adore me and missed me so much and I just felt..." she dropped out. "You felt...what?" he tried to finish. Rapunzel exhaled sharply through her nose. "That's the problem. I didn't know what I felt for them. I never met them aside from three months as an infant, and then suddenly they're there, and I just...I didn't know how to feel about them, other than relief that they were my parents and not Gothel. I mean, now, I love them so much, but then...how do you tell someone you never met before you missed them?" Eugene squeezed her arm. "How do you tell someone you met 3 days ago you're their 'New Dream'?" She laughed gently. "Yeah, that is a good point", she agreed and lifted her self out of his arm, "But it doesn't matter now. That feels like so long ago, doesn't it?" Eugene, still embarrassed the stone gave Rapunzel his thoughts, replied, "It really does. I'm glad we're here now though." She flashed a loving smile to her husband, and looked out the window. Corona was only a few miles away. She didn't even remember what they did before she got caught in the trance, but there they were, regardless. Not much time passed before the wheels were rolling atop the familiar cobblestone of Corona. 

People, who were waiting for that carriage to return for a week, ran outside to cheer for her and the Prince-Consort. She stuck her head out the window and tried to give a convincing smile to the excited crowds of people, as well as a good 'Princess Wave' she had been practicing. She wasn't sure how well it worked, but hey, people were still happy to see her. They couldn't know that she was still thinking about Cassandra, given how the people feel about her, or they wouldn't look this happy again. One carriage-window greeting session later, Max stopped the carriage in front of the castle, where a happy King and Queen awaited the return of their daughter and son-in-law. An announcer was there, ready to perform his job as an announcer, and announce things. He opened the door, first announcing, "Presenting his Royal Highness, Prince Eugene Fitzherbert Der Sonne", prompting Eugene to exit the carriage, but waited politely against the carriage door with a hand out, ready to lead Rapunzel off the carriage. "and her Royal Highness Rapunzel Der Sonne." She took Eugene's head and poked her head out, not expecting Eugene to pick her up by the waste and lift her out of the cabin, making her squeal in a surprised delight. He placed her down on the ground, hugged behind her, and kissed her cheek. She squeezed his hand a little and he let go so she could run to her parents, whom she was very excited to see again. "Mom! Dad!" she called out happily, and made a run for the two of them, with arms open, ready to greet her with a warm hug. "I missed you guys", she said sincerely. They enjoyed the hug greatly before his Highness caught the eye of the king. He released himself from the happy hug to approach the Prince-Consort. "Your Majesty, as you can see, I kept Rapunzel safe and sound, and uh, Max helped", he explained with his usual cockiness. Max snorted angrily. "I had no doubt, and I'm glad to see the two of you returned safely," said Frederic, "but 'Your Majesty' is hardly an appropriate greeting for a Prince to his father-in-law.' Eugene thought for a second, "What about...'Dad'?" 

"'Dad'...is perfect", he smiled warmly. 

Eugene, overjoyed that he thought this, quickly hugged his father-in-law. Frederic, surprised by the suddenness of it, returned the hug, at first partially, but pretty quickly returned the hug in full. He might has well have been his son for all the things he'd done for the castle, for him, and his daughter. It was just nice that it was official. He brought himself out of it, and looked back at the luggage leaving the carriage. "Well...Dad...I should probably go grab my luggage." 

"Why on Earth would you do that? The servants can take it to your room." Eugene had forgotten for a moment. "Oh...that's right, because, uh, I'm the Prince-Consort now." 

"Don't get too ahead of yourself. You may earn privileges by joining our family, but you still need to prepare for a coronation ceremony before you can officially take the title of Prince. Also, Prince-Consort would be if Rapunzel takes the place of Queen." The Prince, red-faced in embarrassment, look to the floor. "Oh, all right." Frederic muttered under his breath, "...which may not be too far away, now." Eugene snapped his head up at the sound of that, "I'm sorry?" Frederic turned away, held up a hand dismissively, and responded aloud, "Don't worry about it." 

Eugene began a step back to the castle when he heard something in the distance. A soft yelling sound, which gradually made its crescendo until it's source came close: Lance Strongbow. He barreled down the hallway screaming excitedly, aiming straight for his best friend, to which Eugene could only react by screaming just as excitedly- the enthusiasm was just too great to ignore. In a second, Lance picked him up like a football and spun him around in a big hug. "Buddy, you can't be going away for that long, it's been _crazy _here!" The excited friend heard the throat clearing of the King. "This is hardly any way to address his Royal Highness, Lance." Lance, realizing how much changed after the wedding, gently put him down and patted his head daintily. The king turned around and walked away, leaving Lance to sneakily start rambling, "Man, I gotta tell you, there's been some crazy stuff here. Wait until you hear what Attila and Monty did in the kitchen the other day." Eugene chuckled and said, "Yeah, we had some crazy stuff happen to us too." Lance put his hands up, "Look, whatever crazy stuff you two did on your honeymoon is your business, I don't wanna hear anything about it." Eugene, looking incredulously to him replied, "No! Not that kind of stuff! We might have found something important." Lance, always intrigued by the sound of potential money, asked, "Ooh, what kind of important?"__

__"I'm not sure, but it read my thoughts, and showed Rapunzel." Lance gave a sympathetic ooh._ _

__Up ahead, Rapunzel was talking to her parents as they walked down the hall and pulled out the stone. "Dad, would you happen to know what this is?" Frederic held the stone and took a look at it. "Hm, it's beautiful, but I can't say geology is my expertise." He returned the stone to Rapunzel, who showed Arianna who gave a similar response. "Well, it keeps showing me visions." Frederic stared at Rapunzel in shock. "Visions?" Rapunzel nodded. "It...it showed me one of Cass." His face fell grim and faced ahead. "My dear, I trust you with whatever path you wish to follow with this stone, but I urge you to exercise caution. Visions, especially with someone as dangerous as her, could bring nothing but trouble once again." Rapunzel, remembering his uneasiness surrounding Cassandra, quickly reassured him, "Don't worry, Dad, I fully intend to be as safe about this as I can, but, I really don't think Cassandra would hurt me now."_ _

__"She certainly had no qualms about harm during the last year."_ _

__Rapunzel, offended by his callousness, was about to defend her before Arianna stepped in. "Frederic, please remember, they were friends for so long beforehand. Imagine if it was you." He looked back to Rapunzel's upset face. Feeling guilty for his quip, he pondered, "...Perhaps our Royal Engineer might be able to point you in the right direction. I remember his experience with the moonstone very well, perhaps he might be able to shed some light into this mystery". Rapunzel grinned excitedly, "You're right, Dad! Thank you!" She hopped up to kiss his cheek before heading in the direction of Varian's castle lab. Arianna also kissed his cheek, "Thank you, dear." Frederic took his wife's hand as they walked back to the throne room._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, for whatever I thought Prince-Consort applied to someone who married a princess who wasn't born royalty, but turned out that would be if Rapunzel was the Queen, so I decided to make fun of myself in my own canon. Tee-hee.


	4. The Great Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian and Quirin take a look at the stone. Xavier had a scroll prepared for just the occasion. Cass meets someone different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picking up from where Cass left off in chapter 2. I kept picturing Iroh and Zuko, oops. They're not Iroh and Zuko though.

"A lovely home you have here", complimented the black cloaked man to Cassandra, who was slowly questioning why she did this. "Thanks. Made it myself", she mentioned, "If you were looking for a contractor though, you're in the wrong place." The mystery man chuckled. "Hardly. We have far too much construction taking place as it is, if you ask me." He spoke slowly, with an almost crooning quality to his voice, like he could sing you to sleep by just telling a story in his normal voice. It was interesting to listen to it, almost entrancing. He walked around the house curiously, glancing at what little she had, and couldn't stop himself from picking up a fancy-looking envelope reading 'Rapunzel & Eugene' in the top left corner and 'Cass' in the middle. 

"DON'T TOUCH THAT!" she snapped. He quickly dropped it and raised his hands up in an "I'm unarmed" gesture. "Forgive me, friend, I couldn't resist. It's a very nice envelope." Cassandra sighed out, "It's just... personal is all." He nodded and said, "Ah, I see. I beg you forgive my intrusion." She shook her head and rubbed the bridge of her nose to try to prevent a headache. "Look, it's fine, but I need to know your business here. Please." Cassandra demanded. 

"Very well. My name is Galen. I couldn't help but notice that you were chasing someone in the town square."

Now it clicked. She suspected as much, but she didn't want to make assumptions. "Do you know them?" 

"You could say that. I'm their grandfather." Now it double-clicked. "I see," she responded regretfully, "and I presume you're looking for them?" He nodded. "Keelan is...troubled, I'm well aware of this. That being said, it wouldn't look good if I were to return to my own children without their child" he explained. "Troubled is...one way to describe it. He tried to sword-fight me on a boat." The face was covered, so expression was difficult for Cassandra to read, but the way he spoke in the next sentence sounded almost apologetic. "Ah. I told them to wait on their training. They're too young." He looked to her kitchen and noticed something missing.

"No leaves?"

Cassandra looked puzzled. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"For tea. How do you make tea?" he countered.

"I...don't. Not usually. Haven't had it much since I got here." He placed his hand on his heart to express his dismay at her blasphemy. "Oh my, that won't do." He reached into the cloak and pulled out a box. "These are some of the best tea leaves you could ask for in the kingdom. I insist you take some, please", he offered while gently placing the mystery tea leaves on the counter. "You won't regret a good cup of tea. Now then, to my grandchild..." he returned. "Do you know where Keelan might have gone after your unfortunate boat battle?" Cass was still eyeing the tea suspiciously. "Well, last I saw the kid, they were being carried off by the town guards. The jail is probably where you'll want to go." He sighed disappointedly. 

"Unfortunately not." 

Cassandra pivoted her head to stare at him anxiously. "What do you mean? I watched the kid be carried off in a wagon." 

"I visited the jail- It was the first place I checked."

"And they didn't have Keelan?" 

He shook his head no. "The guardsmen seemed rather dazed when I got there. There was a mess in the hall, and when I inquired, I was informed that they managed to get themself out somehow. I'm truly sorry for disturbing you, but I thought...perhaps..." 

"He might try to challenge me again," she whispered to herself. Cassandra, still anxious about what had just been released unto the town, rushed to her spear. "We need to find them." 

"Wait!" 

Cassandra looked to the old man with a very serious look.

"I understand your concerns for the town's safety, but please, I beg of you, consider your approach. They're just a child." 

Her kneejerk reaction was to respond that the kid's a criminal, but stopped herself. After all, she just proved herself little better than an ex-criminal she once knew. "Look, whether I use violence or not will depend on Keelan, because if they use that sword against me, I have no choice." The old man's fear radiated through his cloak. "But...if they can be reasonable...maybe we can find a different solution." Some relief was obvious. "I do apologize for interrupting any plans you have, friend." 

"It's all right. I was just going to read a letter today."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Varian's hair was smoking. One minor explosion shook up the lab, but it was all right- he wore goggles. Rapunzel walked into his laboratory and immediately started coughing. The awkward teenager immediately handed Rapunzel a rag to breathe into and apologized, "Sorry, Princess. Just a minor accident down here, but I've got the window open, and my goggles were on, so it's alllll good." She returned through the rag, "Not a problem, as long as you're okay." He waved his hand dismissively, "Not even an issue. So, what brings you to our end, Princess?" She immediately pulled out the stone to show Varian. "Clearly, you did a lot of research when it came to the Moonstone, so I'm wondering if you could help with one more." Varian took the stone from the Princess' hand and looked closely. "Hm, interesting. It looks almost exactly like the other, but... green, I guess. More like malachite. There's an interesting pattern on it." He placed the stone underneath a microscope (one of his crazy inventions he's been dying to use) and grabbed a notebook. "Green...pattern....composition..." he muttered as he wrote. He laid the book down next to the microscope and peeked through the lense with one eye. "It doesn't seem to glow like the others did. Well, except for the yellow swirl pattern etched in this. I think the blue might be glowing a bit too. Hard to tell, really", he established and then jotted into the notebook before taking the stone out. "Ultimately, I can't say much without being able to take a look at the other stone in depth, and since those are in space, well, I get to work with what I work with, but still, thank you for letting me write details about this one into my geology book. Has it done anything weird since you found it?"

"It showed me a couple of visions. One was incredibly vague and dark, and the other was incredibly vivid to the point where it read...well, someone's thoughts..."

Varian widened his eyes in awe. "Incredible! I wonder what happened there? Hey, dad!" 

Quirin rolled out from under a giant contraption of some sort. "What's wrong, Varian?" he asked. "Do you know if the Brotherhood might have mentioned anything about this?" he inquired, handing the stone to his father. "Hm...no, nothing about green stones anyway." He paused a few moments, then continued, "That being said, all those old legends are filled with boatloads of symbolism. Xavier is the man to talk to for legends, but maybe your first bet might be the 'Legend of the Great Mother'." He handed the stone back to Varian who then returned it Rapunzel. Before she could ask, his Royal Highness appeared from the staircase, hacking up a lung. "Ugh, Varian, what happened in here?" he choked out. Varian handed him a rag to place over his nose and mouth. "Sorry, accident, window, goggles, et cetera, et cetera. Dad, what's that about a great Mother?" 

"Who's Mom is that? We haven't had a great track record with those", the Prince asked.

"No, I mean a legendary Mother." Varian responded. 

"Even worse." 

"He's talking about a legend called the 'Legend of the Great Mother'. Quirin thinks it might hold some promise for our search for Cass", Rapunzel explained calmly. Eugene pointed a finger upward. "Ah, I see. Sounds like you're making progress, Blondie, just like I knew you would."

"Wait, Cass?" Varian asked.

Rapunzel, now remembering what she just said, noted that she didn't go into detail. "Oh...yes." She started to frown, thinking how she might break it to Varian. "You know how I mentioned visions?" Varian nodded nervously. "Cass...was in the vague one...and we think she's in danger." Varian gasped and covered his mouth. Quirin stood up, using the machine to help him up (Creepers were not easy to stay on for long periods at his age). "I didn't realize this was for Cassandra", he said grimly, "I'm thinking that gem was trying to tell you to stay away, your Highness." Rapunzel scowled. "No, that couldn't be. Cass...well, when she's not being manipulated by a demon anyway, she wouldn't hurt me. I think the stone is trying to tell me to help her." Quirin held a grim look on his face. "Please, Quirin, I need to know." Quirin sighed deeply. "All right. Keep in mind, I don't have much for details, your highness, that's Xavier's domain." He paused for a moment, then began with, "From what I remember, there were three tribes. One worshipped a Great Mother, which was apparently some kind of deity." He scratched his head and continued, "So...something happened...something about the Earth" He groaned. "It's not coming to me. I know that there was a struggle of some kind, but what? Think, Quirin." Rapunzel interjected, "That's all right. You said Xavier might know more?" Quirin nodded, rubbing his back, still stiff from the Creeper seat. "He usually does. I'm sure he's got some scroll on the matter." Rapunzel turned quickly, calling out, "Thank you, Varian! Thank you, Quirin!" and rushed out of the room. Eugene followed in turn. 

"I have to head into town. Do you want to come?" Eugene caught up to her. "Well, it is my duty as Captain of the Royal Guard to guard you, my royal one." Rapunzel, continuing her brisk walk to Xavier's shop, questioned that. "You still want to do that?" Eugene, confused by the sentiment responded, "Of course. Why wouldn't I?" without hesitation. "Well, you're going to have a bunch of new duties as the Prince-Consort" she justified. "Prince, actually. Dad said that Prince-Consort's my title for when you become Queen", he countered. "Oh..." she looked around inconspicuously so Eugene wouldn't notice, "...that's right. Of course. Wait, 'Dad'?" Eugene gave a high pitched giggle. "Your dad told me I could call him that." She gushed at the sentiment. "Awwww, I love that for you! Still though, that's a lot to try to balance on top of Captain duties. My day is usually full of things to do." Eugene scoffed, "I'll be fine. Besides, you manage to find the time to balance between saving the world and ruling a country." Rapunzel flashed a stern look to him, "That took years, and a lot of sacrifice, mind you. I'm serious, think about what you're proposing here. You want to perform the regular regal duties, AND lead an army? There's a reason why those things are usually kept separate." Eugene sighed dejectedly. "Look, I'll think about it. I haven't even been coronated yet; Give me some time, maybe I can make it work." She shook her head. "All right. Just remember, wanting to prioritize one role over the other is perfectly fine, and healthy even." He took her hand. "I guess it would be a pretty boneheaded move to not listen to royalty on how to be royalty, huh?" She smirked. "I think I can take you under my wing, Fitzherbert, _if_ you think you can handle it." Eugene smirked right back, "I'll be the best student you ever had, Sergeant Princess. Hit me with that first lesson, I can take it!" She laughed softly at his enthusiasm. "Lesson one, watch the road." His eyes darted toward the road, just in time to barely avoid crashing into an ornate display of discount reading glasses.

"Jeez! Stupid clearance sale."

Xavier's familiar build was found hunching over a smelting oven, holding some kind of mold, possibly for a chestplate. He pulled out the mold and placed it into a bucket of water for it to cool off. Before he could wipe the sweat from his brow, he heard a voice call for him. "Xavier!" He turned to see the Princess wave to him with her Prince right beside her. "Ah, your Highnesses. It's always a pleasure to have you here, and may I say again, congratulations. The wedding was beautiful." It never hurts to butter up the royal family since the Royal Guards were his primary customers. "Thank you, Xavier!" she replied. He looked to Eugene and said, "And I do look forward to your own coronation ceremony, Prince Eugene." Suddenly reminded of this, he rubbed the back of his neck and blushed. "Ah, yeah...that'll uh, that'll be a roaring good time, huh?" The blacksmith nodded kindly. "So, your Highnesses, what brings you to my shop today?" Rapunzel showed him the stone. "Well, we found this, and it's been doing some strange stuff, and Quirin said that apparently, it might be related to some "Legend of the Great Mother". Xavier gasped excitedly, "Of course, your Highness! I believe I have the scroll you're looking for in my collection. He rushed to his shelf of myths and legends to look for the Great Mother's tale when Eugene asked, "You know, Xavier, why don't we just make you the Royal Historian or something?" While he searched, he answered, "I prefer to keep my passions and my career separate. Besides, you would want someone who knows more than just legends. If you ever have a Royal Storyteller position open up, I would perhaps consider it." Eugene shrugged his shoulder, accepting his justification. 

"Ah-ha!" he exclaimed. "The Legend of the Great Mother." 

He laid it out on a nearby table, which Rapunzel invited herself to go take a look at for clues while Pascal hopped onto the table. "The legend goes, that once upon a time, there were three tribes. One tribe worshipped a being of sun, one worshipped a being of the moon, and the other worshipped the Great Mother. Now, we do not know exactly what the Great Mother looked like- only that she was connected to the Earth. Also, the Great Mother is a rough translation for what she would have been called. Now, these tribes used to live in harmony, the sun tribe bringing light and warmth, which helped the Great Mother's tribe grow their crops and care for animals, and give the Moon Tribe much needed sustenance while they provided the ocean's waves and light in the night." 

"How would a tribe have brought sunlight or waves?" questioned Eugene in disbelief.

"Remember, there tends to be a lot of metaphor in these tales, your Highness. These may not have been real people, but they represent something great, I'm sure." Eugene shrugged his shoulders once again and allowed the storyteller to continue. "Now, the Great Mother tribe soon realized their advantage to the rest of the tribes; they were, by far, more connected to the land than the other two tribes and knew all things on Earth. They soon spread their reign across the rest of the land, blocking out sunlight and halting the flow of water and food to the anger of the neighbors. The sun tribe and moon tribe agreed from there, the Great Mother must be stopped. They combined their forces, and together, they found their ability to hinder the powers of the Great Mother. Her reign was not entirely suppressed, but it was diminished enough that balance could soon be restored. Sunlight could continue to bless the lands, light could continue to shine at night, and water could continue to flow. With this balance, the land could continue its peaceful balance." Rapunzel kept staring at the scroll. "Huh...", then looked to the stone. Varian's words rang in her head, "I think the blue might be glowing a little bit...". Then it hit her. 

"This is the Great Mother."

"How on earth did you preen that from that story?" Eugene asked in dismay. 

"It has to be. Look at the etches in the stone. The yellow is glowing super bright, but the blue...it's only glowing a little bit." Eugene observed the stone's glowing properties closely. "You think...she's not, right?" Rapunzel stared down to the floor. "Cass..." This only confirmed Rapunzel's fears.

Cass was in danger, and she didn't have much time. 

"Do you remember where she was staying before?" 

"Well I sent a letter to her old place in Arendelle months ago, but I don't know if she's there anymore. She mentioned people calling her a monster..."

"Ah. Well, not like they have room to talk", muttered Eugene under his breath, then spoke aloud, "Well, do you know where she might have gone after that?" Rapunzel looked to the stone again and shook her head no. "I wish I could remember something from that vision." She sighed dejectedly. 

Then her eyes glowed blue. 

More vague imagery passed through. It was Cassandra. The visions started with a boat, switching immediately to a man she never met before in armor, and a young woman surrounded by bread. One thing that struck her in the dark and vague imagery that passed her was a signpost that appeared. It read 'Ha-' before bringing Rapunzel back to reality.

"Rapunzel?" Eugene asked concernedly. She shot her head up, and mumbled, "It knows all things on Earth...Cass is on Earth." She then spoke aloud, "Eugene, this has to be the Great Mother. There's nothing else it could be. It knows _all things on Earth_ and you know who's on Earth right now?" Eugene thought for a second. "Cass...you know, Cass is incredibly far away from Corona right now. Maybe the Mother is having a hard time connecting to her." Rapunzel looked hopefully to Eugene and replied, "That has to be it! Eugene, do you know what places begin with 'Ha'?"

"Well, there's Harriston. Is that what the stone showed you?" 

"Yes! Eugene, I have to go to Harriston", she decided. "You know, I was hoping we'd go under more pleasant circums-- wait, _you_ are going to Harriston?" She nodded enthusiastically. "Alone?" 

"Well, I'll have Max." 

"Sure, but, Sunshine, with those kinds of long distances, it can be pretty helpful to have another person with you." Rapunzel turned to Xavier, and told him, "Thank you so much for your help!" Xavier waved goodbye to her as she lead Eugene out of the shop. "Eugene, remember when I told you that balancing Prince duties and Captain of the Guard duties would require times of sacrifice? This is one of those times. You're a leader. You need to be here if something happens to the castle." Eugene groaned. "But you're royalty, and I can't just let royalty go all the way out there with just a horse." 

"First of all, I'm telling Max you called him that, and second of all, who's going to protect the castle?" Eugene, completely baffled, retorted, "There's a whole army here!" Rapunzel groaned back, "They didn't stop Varian and the Saporians last time, and that was _with_ their captain! I can't let anything happen to the castle again, but I'm the only one who can take care of this Great Mother stuff!" 

"All right, Dad's settling this!" 

" _What?!_ " 

"I can't let you go out alone!"

"And I can't let the Captain of the Guard abandon his army!"

"Who said anything about abandonment?! I'm not abandoning anything! My duty is to you and the Royal family!" 

"Exactly! The Royal family! Not to mention the people of Corona! If anything happened to Mom and Dad, I don't know what I'd do, Eugene!" 

"And if anything happened to _you_ , I don't know what _I'd_ do, Rapunzel!"

Rapunzel growled loudly, "Fine, we'll take it to Dad, but he's going to agree with me." 

"And what makes you so sure about that?" he taunted mockingly.

_One loud and argue-y trip to the Throne Room later..._

"I agree with Rapunzel", judged the King. 

"Oh, _come on!_ "

Frederic walked to him and placed a shoulder on him, and spoke calmly. "You're correct that your duty does tie you to the protection of the Royal family, but the Captain of the Guard's place is here, with the King, the Queen, and the people of Corona. Your duty as Captain of the Guard lies with us first, I'm afraid."

Eugene sighed, knowing that this was a lost battle. "Can we at least send a guard to go with her?"

"Of course! That was never in question, but I presumed that's what Max is for, is that correct?" 

Flabbergasted, he pivoted to Rapunzel and lamented, "Fine, you win, okay? Just...please don't do anything reckless." 

"I'm not the same person who went to the Dark Kingdom with you two years ago, Eugene. I'll be careful." 

They walked away from the throne room. Rapunzel returned to their room. She forgot the servants moved his items into the room. She started gathering items, intending to head out tomorrow to find Cass and figure out more about the Great Mother. Maybe by tomorrow, Eugene would be ready to talk to her again; clearly, he wasn't going to now. He knew he'd need to give her a proper goodbye, but clearly she was mad at him, and his pride felt a little wounded, so he went to Lance's room, forgetting it was no longer his own. Lance listened to the whole tale as the Prince complained about Rapunzel's 'recklessness' and 'cavalier attitude about going alone, even after their trip to the Dark Kingdom'. Lance could only come to one conclusion:

"I can't believe you two would go on a trip and not even invite me! Selfish, you're both selfish!"

Eugene glared at him. "You really didn't listen at all, did you? Look, the point is, Rapunzel is going somewhere alone, I can't go with her and-and..." Lance looked at him. "And?"

"And...I'm scared... all right?" Eugene sat down next to him on his bed. "Well, of course you are. It's not just a royal duty thing, and you know it." Eugene buried his face into his hands. "Yeah...I know...Lance, why did I do this to myself?" Lance laughed at the sentiment, "Because you wouldn't be you if you didn't." He dropped his hands away from his face and into his lap. "You love Rapunzel, right?" 

"Of course."

"And you trust her ability to protect herself, right?"

"As much as I can humanly trust someone to protect themselves, yes."

"So what are you worried about?"

He thought about it for a second. There were a lot of close seconds with her on their journey- times where she fell too weak to move, times where someone or something could have killed her. Then he remembered her face in all of them. She looked smaller, paler in all of those times. She watched him die once, he remembers, and he's watched her get into near-peril on more than one occasion. She nearly drowned with him. She nearly got killed by Gothel for his life. He was worried because he's seen exactly the sort of thing that happens to Rapunzel on journeys. 

"Lance, I'm going to do something stupid."

"What's that?"

Eugene stood up.

"I'm going to disobey a direct order from the King."

Lance stuttered a little bit before Eugene left to walk back to Rapunzel's room. He walked down the hall, turned the corner, and headed in her direction. 

The universe wouldn't make his disobedience that easy. A bright light shined through the window. In the distance, it looked like a star on Earth. In her room, Rapunzel dropped her luggage bag on the bed and walked towards the light in the window. Pascal covered his eyes, scared of the light. Something in Rapunzel's hand grew warm. She took a look at the stone. 

It was glowing.


	5. Till Death Do Us Part

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The glowing light in the distance draws Rapunzel. Something gets in the way of investigation. Cass begins a proper search with Galen while Iris rehearses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternatively, this could be titled, "Eugene and Rapunzel realize they need to up the communication game now that they're married". CW blood mention, some gore.

The stone's lights twinkled consecutively, green to yellow to blue. It was curious to watch, but the light was the big attraction. It was clearly going to cause issue beyond just preventing the citizen's from sleeping. It was hard to believe that her day passed as quickly as it did, but so it passed, and now she had something to do to end off the night. 'This is connected. Why is it there?' she kept thinking, 'Eugene will be mad, but he's already mad.' It started raining. She grabbed the stone and a cloak to keep her warm and dry while she made her way to the light. She opened the door, and walked down the hallway to turn the corner, but her path to the light was blocked- Eugene was there, gazing out the window at the star on earth. She decided to do the sneakiest thing she could imagine to get past him: she ran in the opposite direction. 

Thinking he heard something, he turned his head towards the direction of Rapunzel's room and saw a piece of cloak going around the corner. 

'How did I _know_ she'd make a run for it? How did I know?' he thought. She faced off a skilled former thief in a battle for speed. She wasn't going to win easily. He also had the advantage of the more direct path to the stables. So he did what he does best and move sneakily. Down the hall, down the staircase, hard right, through the brass door, careful of the rain water leaking through. Easy peasy, all he'd have to do is hang out in the stables for a bit and wait for Rapunzel to catch him there. 

She didn't show up.

He thought about it for a few seconds. 'It doesn't take that long to get to the stables, even with the route she decided. This is the only place she's getting a horse...unless...' The realization hit him like a pile of bricks. "Max is on patrol tonight!" He made a run into the storm that was picking up towards his assigned route, and sure enough, there was Rapunzel climbing atop the Captain's horse. "RAPUNZEL!" he yelled angrily. She turned her head in his direction, then proceeded to whip the reins to get him to move. Thankfully, he got there just in time to hop in front of the horse, who did everything in his power to break his momentum, even against the wet stone. Just narrowly avoiding a goring by a horse, Rapunzel screamed, "EUGENE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" 

"Oh, I don't know, trying to stop you from killing yourself, probably!" 

"Sun help me, you could have gotten yourself killed doing that!" 

"I did it because you're running to some big glowing thing and you don't even know what it is!" 

"The Great Mother is glowing too, Eugene! And it just rains out of nowhere all of a sudden?! It's all connected! I need to go!" 

"And what am I supposed to do--?!"

"What you swore to do, Eugene! You wanted to be the Captain of the Guard, this is what he does! He stands behind and protects the castle and stops trying to put himself in danger! This is the sacrifice you chose to make when you were sworn in! Now live with it!" 

He was stunned speechless. He had no idea what to say, he could only stand there gobsmacked. She whipped the reins and Max, who was feeling incredibly awkward at this point, began his gallop at a blistering pace. Her cloak flapped in the wind. 

"FINE!" he roared, "GO GET YOURSELF KILLED! AND I'LL JUST STAND BEHIND RIGHT HERE!" Eugene kicked a rock and marched furiously to a nearby bench. He already regretted what he said, went and dropped into the seat and put his hands to his head, not even caring he was getting soaked. Up ahead, Rapunzel was wiping tears and raindrops away from her eyes, determined to make it to that glowing light. Eugene was tired. Very tired.

"Eug--I mean, Prince Eugene!" 

Varian came running behind him, wearing protective rubber to help against the rain. "I tried looking for you two, but you weren't in your room and I just--" Eugene pointed ahead of him, "She's up there. She's running for the light", he told him grimly. "Wait, no no no no no, that's a really, really bad idea!" Varian warned. 

"I know it is, but I just...I couldn't stop her." He rubbed his temples. He had a headache. It only intensified as the seconds went on. 

Rapunzel had one too. 

"Eugene, there's a problem, the light is setting off, like, everything I have! I don't know if that stone will do well in that environment." He groaned in pain. He was having trouble forming words. 'I wasn't built for this' he thought. Suddenly, a sharp pain radiated on his left hand. Confused, he gazed down at the prickled appendage.

It was bleeding a little bit. 

Rapunzel was getting dizzy.

The tiny cut ripped across his hand slowly, forming a full scar across his palm. Naturally, he was freaking out, but he had little energy for much of a reaction. "W-wha...what's?" Varian, who had far more energy, was shrieking at the horrifying event occurring on his Highness's hand. 

Rapunzel's vision was getting blacker. She couldn't concentrate. The duo were miles past the gates of Corona.

"Wh-why is..." he muttered before he felt a sharp pain somewhere else. His shirt had a blood stain right around his abdomen. He dropped the rest of his body onto the rest of the bench in pain. Varian, still freaking out, took Eugene's head, "Look at me, look at me!" The light was slowly escaping his eyes.

Rapunzel's body fell off the horse, much to Max's horror. After an anxious whinny, he tried to get Rapunzel on his back. Pascal kept trying to shoot his tongue into her ears, which did nothing. Max finally finagled her body enough that she could lie on his saddle sideways, and took to running back towards the castle so the Royal Doctor could look at her, performing amazing feats of acrobatics and using Pascal's help to keep her balanced and keep him moving fast.

Eugene, slowly fading, looked past Varian, and saw the familiar figure of a tall and skinny woman with curly black hair holding a knife in her hands. "Now look what you've done", accused the figure. 

"No", he struggled out of his mouth, "G-Gothel..." Varian, confused and still anxious replied, "Wha-who?!" 

"Gothel... sh-she's...Rapunzel...Rapunzel's in danger...she's...gagged and chained...", he slurred out, dazed and hallucinating in his final throes. Varian's head pivoted behind him. He saw no one at first, but the figure of a horse in the distance became more and more obvious. The horse had someone lying on the saddle sideways. 

It was Rapunzel.

"What?!" Varian yelled. "Rapunzel!" He ran up to the noble steed to look at Rapunzel. She was cold and limp. "No no no no no no. No! NO!!" he was hyperventilating. Eugene gasped. The figure was gone, and Rapunzel was now clearly and obviously on a horse. She didn't look quite right, but she was there. Still weak, he used every fiber of his being to push himself back into a seated position. "R-Rapunzel..." Slowly, he found the strength to stand. Not to walk, however, as the first attempt made him fall over. Thankfully, Varian was there to catch him. "Oh my sun. Rapunzel," he whispered. "Help me to her, Varian, please", he begged louder. 

His face was red, his eyes were stinging. His love was lying half-dead on Max's back. "Gothel got you. She...I'm so sorry, Rapunzel," he choked out through a sob lingering. He was still convinced he saw Gothel before. He was still convinced she did something to her. What else could have done this? "I'm so sorry, I let this happen, I shouldn't have pushed you away, I wish I never said what I said. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She cupped her head into his hand, and placed his forehead against hers. "Please...there's so much we could have done. I need you here. Please" he begged softly to his limp wife. He let out a strangled sob as thoughts raced through his mind. 'This wasn't supposed to happen. Not now. We were only married for a week. There was so much I had for you to see with me. That was all I wanted. Please don't go.'

"Eugene", she whispered softly.

Eugene gasped. Relief fell over him all at once. Fear, anxiety, and regret still hung over his head, but he was fully blanketed in relief. It made him laugh. It was a strange giddiness. He held her face in his hands and kissed her with all the passion and love he had in his heart. She weakly attempted to return it, clearly too tired to give the same effort, but still took his cheek into her hand in an attempt. Once he released himself from his kidd, he told her softly, "You scared me there, Sunshine." She let out a weak laugh, then noticed something strange. "Eugene...your hand..." He looked at it himself. The wound that tore open just moments ago was being healed by the power of a yellow light. His abdomen didn't hurt anymore. He wasn't feeling particularly weak anymore. He grabbed Rapunzel off of Max and carried her in his arms. "Eugene...what happened?" she asked feebly.

"Doctor. Now." 

Now in the Royal Clinic, The doctor looked over her for a moment, then stood up to talk to the Prince. "Unfortunately, this falls a little out of my realm of expertise, your highness. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say it's related to her connection with the Sundrop, especially since you described a yellow glow that sounds pretty similar to it's usual properties." 

"But then why did I suffer, doc?"

He shrugged. "I wish I knew, your Highness. What we can do now is let both of you rest. You were also at death's doorstep, so I believe you will need just as much rest as she does. I think she can safely rest in your room. She seems to only be improving." The doors flew open as though the King and Queen considered the doors a burden that shouldn't exist. Eugene stood up to allow Arianna to sit next to her daughter. Arianna took her hand. "Hi, Mom..." The King walked behind him. "Varian told me everything. He told me that you..." Eugene, a little embarrassed that the poor kid saw him like that, confirmed, "Yeah. I did, but I mean...I think I'm okay now. I'm more worried about Rapunzel at this point." The King stared at her concerned. "I'm okay, Dad, honest. I can even stand up, look..." A wave of protectiveness washed over the Prince when she attempted to stand, and he quickly hopped next to her and led her down, "Up-bup-bup-bup-bup-bup. You heard what the doc said, you need to rest." 

"He also said that you need to rest, and that we could do so in the comfort of our own bedroom." 

Eugene took his hands off of her and smiled at her, "You're right. You're absolutely right." Rapunzel stayed seated, however. "But I'll stay down for now if it makes you feel better." Eugene sighed in relief. "Eugene, why don't you head for bed, and I'll meet you there?" 

"Nuh-uh, Blondie. I'm not leaving."

So he stayed for another hour. Rapunzel told her parents about what had happened with the stone, and why she did what she did. Eugene kept feeling guiltier and guiltier for what he told her. So he stayed, even after Frederic and Arianna had left to retire after they knew she was okay.

"You said that it just tore open out of nowhere, right?"

He nodded. 

She buried her face into her hands. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to kill the both of us," she apologized, her voice lightly quivering. Eugene sighed. 

"I know you didn't. To be fair, I don't think either of us expected that." 

"You know what makes this worse?" 

He raised his eyebrows curiously.

"The whole argument is moot. I just yelled at you and made you feel bad for nothing. I think the light was trying to tell us something by doing this." 

"As in you think it _wants_ me to come with you?"

"I mean, I don't know for sure, but I don't think two people can just suddenly die because they distanced themselves more than 10 miles without the magical, mysterious light being involved."

"Blondie, you know that I'd go with you whether a giant candle told me to or not." Rapunzel smiled. "I know." Then her face fell in disappointment. "I'm sorry. For just...everything. For the argument, for the yelling, for all of it. You didn't deserve it."

He bent down and kissed her cheek. "Think nothing of it." She blushed. 

"I heard some of what you said out there."

Eugene looked at her worriedly. "You...did?" She nodded. "You thought Gothel did that to me?" Eugene choked a little bit. She heard his hallucination-driven apology earlier. "Well...yeah...keep in mind, I was dying too, so just...I saw some stuff, I blame the blood loss, you know?" he explained nervously laughing. "Eugene." she said kindly, then patted a spot on her bed next to her. He took a seat. "Gothel still haunts me too. She tends to come into my nightmares a lot." Eugene looked to her sympathetically. "Does she do anything in your nightmares?" She aimed her gaze to the floor grimly. "When I dream about her, my mind tends to replay...when she stabbed you." He grimaced and grabbed the area where the stab wound tore open just an hour ago. "Yeah, that's...that's not something I'd like to relive either." Rapunzel looked to him. "Eugene, she did and said a lot of things when I grew up with her. A _lot_ of things. Nothing she ever did in 18 years of knowing her ever hurt as much as watching her kill you." Eugene frowned once again. "You know, in mine, she kills _you_ instead." Rapunzel looked to him curiously. "The nightmare usually starts with me climbing into the tower and seeing nothing. Then, I watch you sing that healing incantation and try to bring me back, but it doesn't work. Then she takes you and slaps chains on your wrists and pulls the knife from the place she stabbed me, and..." he dropped out. "And she stabs...me?" she finished. He nodded sadly. "I figured that if she took you from the tower, she'd keep using you until she considered you useless, and...well, clearly, she was willing to stick a knife in me, I see no reason why she wouldn't the minute she thought keeping you around was pointless, especially since you figured out she wasn't your real mother." She put a hand on his arm, "I'm really glad she's gone", she said. "Me too." They sat in silence for a few moments, then the Prince piped up.

"Rapunzel, I...I'm really sorry for what I told you on your way out." 

"No, you don't have anything to be sorry for, Eugene. I shouldn't have lashed out like that." She waited a moment. "Eugene, I said what I said and did what I did because for two years, I kept seeing you get in danger for something I needed to do. I meant for this to help us find Cass, but then I let it turn into a bigger mystery to figure out the Great Mother. I'm so tired of seeing you suffer for things you got roped into because of me. You deserve to rest." He looked her in the eye. "And I kept seeing you get in danger for the greater good. I'm tired of seeing you suffer for something that isn't your fault-It never was-but I want to be there to help you when worst comes to worst, whether you mean to find Cass or to get another cosmic connection established. I may not have the perfect marriage manual on me, but I'm pretty sure that's what a good husband does for the woman he loves." Rapunzel smiled gently. "Does someone have a crush on me?" she asked facetiously.

"Shh, I haven't told Rapunzel yet, don't let her hear you."

They giggled at their silliness. Once the laughter died, she wanted to bring up one more issue. "Another thing, Eugene...I was so frustrated when you blew me off after I told you that you'll need to balance your duties." Eugene frowned, looking to the floor while she continued, "I do worry about you trying to balance the two, not because I don't think you can, but because just my normal Princess duties take so much time that I can't imagine trying to have another position on top of that. You coming with me would absolutely be the princely thing to do, but it's just...not a good idea for a Captain of the Guard." She waited a moment.

"I don't want anything to happen to my parents again."

Eugene took her hand. "I have to tell you, Rapunzel, the old Captain of the Guard was...not very good at his job."

"Shocker." 

Eugene chuckled. "You're absolutely right. My duty as Captain of the Guard is also to protect Mom and Dad, and not just you, and I'm sorry for disrespecting you and blowing off your advice. I'm not sure what life will be like when I'm officially crowned, but...Rapunzel, they're such a different unit now. They're way better prepared, they've really improved in their fighting skill. I honestly think that if I leave Lance in charge temporarily, they'll be able to fend for themselves for once. I promise, I would never purposefully leave your parents in the care of a unit just...just _woefully_ incompetent." Rapunzel laughed at that. "It was terrible. They learned more from my 'Think like a Thief' training than they did in years of guard training under the last guy." Rapunzel kept laughing. "But now...they're incredible. They've really improved with my help and Lance's. I really believe as long as he's able to watch over the guard while I'm gone, nothing will happen to your parents." Rapunzel smiled gently. "I'm proud, Eugene." He smiled right back, "Thank you, sunshine, it was back-breaking work." Rapunzel put her head on his shoulder. 

"Not just that, but you got Lance to _enforce_ the law." 

Eugene laughed pretty hard at that. They enjoyed a good laugh together in the clinic. He wiped away a tear from his eye. He took Rapunzel into a one-arm embrace. "I love you, Rapunzel". She kissed his cheek, "and I love you, Eugene". He stood up and offered his hand, "Why don't we get to bed, sunshine?" She took the offer and used it to pull herself up. Eugene kept an arm around her shoulder. "This wasn't quite what I pictured returning from our honeymoon would be like." Eugene smirked and replied, "Me neither. I wasn't expecting the big fight until at _least_ day three." 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cass and Galen walked into the jail and stared in awe at the damage done to the place.

"Jacob!" she exclaimed. 

Jacob was lying on the floor near the door being tended to by a doctor. "Are you okay?! What happened?" 

"Cass...I'm glad you're safe." He tried to sit up, only for him to groan in pain The doctor pushed him down while he stitched. There was a wound on his abdomen. 

"I'll be okay...honest", he promised. "Jacob, what happened to you? Who...?" He groaned once more as the doctor just finished stitching up the wound. "Stay down, now", ordered the doctor. Jacob nodded, and the doctor moved onto the next guardsman. "That Keelan kid...they went berserk." Cassandra's eyes widened in horror. "The kid did this?!" she asked. Jacob nodded. "Urgh...we tried to remove their-their cloak. They didn't like that." He took a labored breath. "They did something weird...I couldn't even tell what-what they did, but it was enough to knock us out. We had confiscated their sword, but once Keelan took us down, they..." he dropped out for one more groan, "they took it right back. Now you see the mess they made." 

Galen's horror could be seen through his veil of black. "Keelan...", he whispered gravely. "So far...it doesn't look like they seriously hurt anyone. I'm probably the worst off out of all of us, but...it was a whirlwind." 

"Jacob, I'm so sorry", she apologized. 

"It's not your fault...the kid stole, they needed to do the time, but...man, that kid and their cloak", said Jacob. Galen kneeled next to Jacob and took out something else from his cloak. "I believe I heard your name to be Jacob, correct?" Jacob nodded suspiciously. "My name is Galen, young man, and I believe I have something that will help your wound feel better." He held out a small jar of a strange green gel and opened it. "Take a small dip from this jar and rub it onto your wound. It's a natural anesthetic." He hesitated and mumbled under his breath, "Well, it's this or the opium, and that shit gives you some crazy dreams." He followed his instruction and stuck two fingers into the compound to take a small sample of the green substance, then rubbed it onto the stitched wound. It stung a little, but quickly felt well enough that he could stand up without bothering the stitching. "Whoa...that worked really well, sir, thank you", said Jacob quite amazed. He shook his head, "No need to thank me, Jacob. I have given you this as an apology for my grandchild, Keelan." He became concerned. "Your grandchild?" Galen nodded. "So, is the cloak like a thing in your family, or...?" Galen chuckled kindly. "You could say that. I suppose the closest comparison would be a cultural experience." Jacob kept rubbing his wound while looking at him. "I see." 

"Do you know where Keelan might have gone?" he asked with a glimmer of hope in his voice. "The kid hopped out the front door quick. I didn't really get a look as to where he went after that, but he mentioned something about a loaf of bread." Cassandra pondered this and it hit her. "IRIS!" she called in concern, and dashed out of the jail. Galen could run pretty fast for an older gentleman, so he followed behind her as she made a run for it. She hopped over a bench, avoided a crowd, and nearly slipped on a puddle, using the lack of traction to her advantage to slide to the bakery door. She opened it in a panic. 

The baker was kneading dough behind the counter, and looked to see Cassandra panicked at the doorway. "Cassandra, are you all right? If you're looking for Iris, she's not in yet." Her heartrate quickened. "Do you know where she might have gone, Jack?" she questioned desperately. "Why, she went to find berries in the mountains for my next special. I'm afraid you'll have to wait just like the rest of the town to know." Cass chuckled nervously and thanked him. She closed the door in front of her. "I know exactly where she picks those berries", she explained to the old man before turning and making a mad dash for her familiar mountain path, with Galen close behind. 

Iris stood in front of Cass's door. She was pacing nervously. 

"Okay, let's try this one more time, Iris", she pumped herself up and cleared her throat, "All right. 'Hi, Cass. I hope I'm not disturbing you right now.'"

"*still Iris, but at a mildly lower pitch*'Hi Iris, no, I was just busy being beautiful, how are you?'"

"'*Iris* 'Oh, you know, I'm okay, I guess. Uh, so...we've known each other for a while now, and uh, there is this _lovely_ pond a few miles west that sometimes, uh, sometimes gets, uh, butterflies-I MEAN FIREFLIES-and I just thought...maybe...you'd like to see them? OH, but I don't want to presume what you like, OH OH OH, but also I mean you'd go with me, I MEAN would you like to go out with me? I MEAN...' UGH, all right, let's try this again..." Before she could continue, there was a rustling sound. She gasped nervously. Was it Cass? Was it her uncle looking for her? How long was she even out here? It turned out none of those things mattered.

Someone in a black cloak was standing in front of her, sword in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always felt like Rapunzel had the potential to be more sarcastic. Thanks for reading so far!


	6. Sunset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another flashback appears the night before the couple makes for the mystery light. Cass finds Iris and Keelan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flashback picks up where we left off in chapter 3. Sorry this one's a little later than the others, Christmas and all that. I hope you like this one!

_Sometime 3 years ago..._

Eugene followed behind the family, still cautious after his encounter with Frederic. Rapunzel and her father were talking to each other, mostly talking about artists she never met and their styles. She listened to him in awe. It was kind of cute. Arianna fell back a little ways to walk with Eugene, however, and spoke softly to him. 

"So, Fly-- excuse me, Eugene, I know you've only just arrived, but I feel I should ask you about...well, your attire..."

'My attire? What about my attire?', He looked down thinking, 'This is perfectly fi--wait...' he remembered Gothel's parting gift made a huge stain on his shirt, '...ohhhhh, _Gothel_...' Eugene cleared his throat, "Right. I apologize, your Majesty, I, uh, I wasn't really prepared to dine in the castle tonight." Arianna nodded, "I thought you might say that. You know, Frederic was about your size when he was around your age, I'm sure I can find something of his that you could use." Eugene looked to her, surprised to hear of her generosity, and replied, "Oh, wow, thank you, your Majesty. Will he be okay with that?" Arianna chuckled lightly, "I have my ways. There's also a room for bathing that the guards typically use should you like to use that to freshen up." He wasn't quite sure how to feel about that, but not wanting to offend the Queen, he replied, "Of course, I could certainly use that". Arianna smiled gently and walked ahead to be with her family while Frederic continued to talk with her daughter. 

He couldn't help, but feel anxious. Why does Frederic look at him exactly the way he would expect him to while Arianna shows him grace and mercy? Why didn't he just refuse to stay for dinner? Could he have just done that to the King and Queen of Corona? To Rapunzel? It would have been easier, but... it didn't feel right. 

They finally found Rapunzel's bedchamber, down the hall. It was a pink affair surrounding her room, a small hallway with a window near the door. "Allow me, my dear" Frederic offered, while opening the door for Rapunzel to go in. Rapunzel entered, wide-eyed and entranced. Frederic, a little embarassed, explained, "I recognize that this is a little smaller than we would have liked for you to have, but this room is very close to ours, so it made sense for us to--"

"This is HUGE!" exclaimed the Princess. 

"Look at the size of that bed! Look at that window! It even has a seat against it! Oh, I love this!" She kept marveling at everything she was just given out of nowhere. Frederic and Arianna stood shocked, not expecting this reaction from her. "The tower wasn't even this big and that thing was a _tower_!" Arianna questioned, "Tower?" Rapunzel looked back to her parents, still amazed by everything, and responded, "Oh, yeah. I still have some explaining to do, don't I?" Frederic smiled, some tears glinting in his eyes. "I look forward to dinner, Rapunzel. Please, excuse us. Your bath is right next door, and we'll have someone bring you clothes." Rapunzel's eyebrows furled in confusion, "Clothes?" Frederic had already gone down the hall to get ready for dinner himself, but Arianna stood behind and was confused by her response. "Well, yes...we knew you wouldn't have brought your whole wardrobe with you, so we can find something for you to wear at dinner." Rapunzel asked, "Would...this not be appropriate for dinner as a princess?" Arianna replied, "Not in it's current state anyway. It'll feel better once we have the maidens wash it for you. You're about my size from when I was your age, so I'm sure I could find something for you." The princess didn't even realize the state of her clothing, but she looked down to her dress, and made some connections. "I see...if you have something pink, that would be really nice." Arianna smiled brightly, "I think I have the perfect thing for you. I'll have one of the maids bring it to you while you freshen up." Rapunzel nodded. Eugene gave her a quick wave while Arianna closed the door behind them. 

"Stan", she called while he stood at his new duty. The broad chested, brown-mustached guard marched to the queen. "Your Majesty", he replied. "Can you take our guest to the guard baths and then return to my bedchambers once he's there?" He nodded. "At once, your Majesty." He looked to Eugene and gestured to go ahead, which he did while Stan followed behind him. "I'll have Stan bring you your change of clothes." Eugene nodded and said, "Thank you again, your Majesty." She smiled and returned to her bedchambers.

The guard baths were definitely farther away from Rapunzel's room than Eugene would have liked, but he certainly couldn't complain; her parents were far too generous to him as it is. Eugene took the time to talk to Stan, and get to know him better. Stan laughed at his jokes, Eugene listened to his gossip about the castle as they walked. This made him feel slightly better about what was happening, but he also kept in the back of his mind that this could easily end up becoming a tragic end to a beautiful friendship. 

"All right, here's the baths." Stan opened the door for him, and allowed him to walk into the room. "There's some soap in that bucket over there, and the hot water is a little more limited than we'd like, but feel free to use it. Any questions?" 

"Nope. Thanks for your help, Stan." 

"Of course. I'll be back with those clothes later. I gotta bring Pete with me. He'll flip when he finds out I'm helping out Flynn Rider of all people." 

"It's Eugene now", he chuckled. "Oh, yeah. Well, I'll be back... _Eugene_ ", Stan responded while he closed the door. Now that he was alone, since no other guards were in the baths, he started freaking out in his mind. 'I can't believe this! You're embarrassing yourself left and right! The king's gonna kill you, I just know it! Why would he lead a thief like you into the castle like this?! Oh, sun, what am I gonna do?!' In his desperation, he noticed a small window. Not ideal, but it could be used for an escape. 'He can't kill me if I'm not here.' He hopped up onto a bench, and attempted to climb up to the window, eventually getting a grip onto it. 'You gotta... You gotta...' he kept thinking to himself. Just before he tried to leap out of it, he saw the sunset reflect on the water in the distance. There was no good reason why, but it stopped him.

His memory conjured up the image of Rapunzel's face, teared up and puffy, convinced she was going to lose him forever. 

He stopped his struggle. 

He came back down, sat in the bench slumped over, and rubbed his temples. 'What am I doing? I can't do that to her, not after everything she did for me.' He sighed. 

'I just...I gotta hope that he won't...I have nothing else to support that he won't, other than I brought his daughter home, but I need to...it's the only way I won't hop out a window again.'

He stood up, trying his best to recover from his panic, and took a deep breath. Afterwards, he took off his vest, then his shirt, grabbed one of the soap bars in the bucket, and moved to the tub, ready to keep undressing to take his bath. 'You know, I can't smell that bad. Maybe it's just sensitive royalty noses that get offended too easily by a natural musk like mine', he thought, now attempting to prove that he smelled fine. He lifted his arm, aimed his head to his armpit and took a whiff. He regretted it greatly. 'I'M OFFENDED, I'M OFFENDED, I'M OFFENDED'. He quickly took off the rest of his clothing and hopped into the bath, which was surprisingly warm considering what Stan had told him. Maybe it was just the warm water getting to him, but he started to relax. 'Maybe this won't be so bad after all...' Just before he could reach Nirvana, however, he heard footsteps. 'Oh, Sun...' He grabbed the soap bar and aggressively rubbed against his armpits before anyone could smell the deathly odor he produced. 

"Hey, Eugene, it's Stan. I'm not gonna look, but I just want you to know, I have the king's clothes here for you. Pete and I will be waiting outside, cool?"

"Sounds great, Stan, thank you!" He heard Stan's footsteps walk outside the bath doors. He sighed in relief, washing off the soapy residue he left behind. 

Now freshly cleaned, he hopped out of the bathtub and grabbed a towel that Stan kindly left behind for him to dry himself off. He put the towel down and went straight to the nicely folded clothing that was waiting for him. A powder white shirt with a ruffle on the collar, a sapphire blue striped jacket with golden embroidery, and a pair of black pants were waiting for him. He held the shirt and jacket in front of a mirror. 

'Hm, not a bad choice.' 

He put on his borrowed clothing, and admired the fit in the mirror. 'Not bad at all, Queen Arianna'. He then walked out of the bathroom to Stan and Pete, forgetting that the two of them were waiting for him. "Was I lying, Pete? Was I?" he asked sarcastically. "Well, come on! Flynn Rider in the castle legally? _Really?_ " 

"He's going by Eugene now." 

"Oh, all right. Well, regardless, you're rocking the King's duds pretty well", complimented Pete.

"Thank you, Pete."

"So, shall we lead you to dinner?" offered Stan.

"I, uh, I think it might be better if I were to go in with Ra--" he cleared his throat, "with the Princess. You know, give her an escort and all that." The two looked to him slyly. "Ohhh, I see, an _escort_ " teased Pete. 

"All right, Eugene, I think we can let her Highness have a proper _escort_."

Eugene smiled at them nervously, "Why are you guys emphasizing that so much?" 

"We'll be right behind you."

The trio made their way to Rapunzel's room. "You know, I heard the King might make her room our new post", said Stan. 

"Really? He's thinking that's necessary?"

"What do you mean? She got kidnapped. Of course he thinks it's necessary. I would do that."

"Fair enough. Wait...but that means..." Pete realized.

"Yup. Another night-shift duty."

The two groaned loudly and dramatically. Eugene kept trying to stop himself from laughing. 

"And here's her Highness's bedchambers, Mr. Escort."

Eugene knocked on the door, "Hey, Bl--your Highness, are you still in there?", he asked. "Eugene?! Could you come in please?!" she called through the door. 

He started panicking. Her father already seemed to hate him, why in the world would he double his chances of dying? "Uh, I don't know if that's such a good idea." 

"Please? I need your help!" 

Pete coughed to get his attention, which worked. "You know, if the Princess herself is asking for you, it's probably a bad idea to turn her down. Seems like it's not really worth reporting. What about you, Stan, you got anything to say?" 

"Nah, it's pretty boring over here." 

Eugene sighed in relief, "I don't know if I'll be able to thank you two enough" he told them softly. He pulled the door open to see what he could do to help Rapunzel. She sat on her bed looking to the floor before her eyes brightened at the sight of Eugene. "Oh, thank goodness you're here!" she exclaimed. He was in awe. She was in a beautiful pink dress with an golden ivy pattern on her bodice that expanded and became more ornate as it continued down the skirt. "You...you look beautiful, Princess", Eugene complimented, clearly smitten. "Thank you, Eugene... there's one problem with it though." 

"And that is...?"

"There's these buttons on the back that I can't reach. Could you help me close them?" 

"Of course." She turned around to allow him access, and he saw the wayward button, astray from her bare back. 'Is this appropriate for someone you met three days ago? Especially when they're a princess? Whose father hates you? I don't know, but she specifically asked for me, so I guess...just go with it' he thought while piecing the back of the dress together. He laid the top of the dress flat against the bottom of her neck. "All done." She sighed while turning around and looking to Eugene, "Thank you so much." He smiled gently to her, "I'm happy to help," not even realizing the look he was giving her, nor the fact that they were holding hands. He knew it was silly considering the two of them had kissed passionately in the tower just yesterday, but now she was a Princess and he was still an ex-con- It just became insanely different. Upon realization of what the two of them were doing, he moved his hands to his back, and said, "So, if, uh, that's all you need me for, we should probably..." he said pointing his thumb behind him.

"Eugene, how do I have dinner with parents?"

The orphan couldn't help but laugh incredulously. "You are asking the _wrong_ person here, Princess." She sighed and sat on her bed, clearly nervous. "What would I even say to them? So far, everything I mention casually about my past makes them horrified, and...it's so hard to tell them these things." Eugene sat down with her, and said, "To be fair, what you went through... _was_ horrifying. I had a pretty similar reaction when you told me your "mother" wouldn't let you leave because of the hair." He continued, "I mean, their long-lost daughter was locked in a tower for 18 years, no idea what the outside world was like, only to be rescued by an infamous thief, who you then watched...well, you watched him..." then he stopped upon looking at the Princess' eyes, looking to him horrified. "Well, you get the point. If you were horrified just listening to me recount your own life, I can't imagine how your parents will react." She grimaced slightly as she looked back towards the floor. "Look, no matter their reaction, they're concerned because they love you. That's a game-changer. But, if you need someone to help you, I'll be right next to you." Rapunzel looked to him hopefully, "...promise?" 

"I promise."

"Thank you, Eugene."

"No problem. Now, please tell _me_ how to have dinner with parents." She laughed. "I'm lacking in that field too, Princess." Before he could continue, she kissed his cheek. "You can still call me Rapunzel." He blushed. 

'It's only been three days, she doesn't...she can't, right? This is you we're talking about here', he thought. 

Rapunzel grabbed his arms. "We're gonna be late, Eugene." She pulled him off of the bed and close to her body, holding him up by his shoulders. He has no idea what she was thinking, but as much as he wanted to kiss her, he also knew there were two Royal Guards outside the door that could catch him like this at any moment. With that in mind, he backed off. "You're right. We should go." She nodded. The two of them walked out of the door. 

"All right, I fixed her problem. Could you show us to wherever it is we're eating?" 

"Right this way, your Highness...and _escort_ ;" directed Pete.

__

So they walked off, ready to have dinner with the King and Queen for the first time in their lives. She held his hand on the way.

__

_Present day_

__

She snapped out of the trance. 

__

"I didn't realize how scared he was."

__

Eugene walked into the room, freshly bathed, ready for a good night's sleep. "You know, I never realized how nice your bathroom was. It's an incredible difference!" 

__

She turned around, nervously. 

__

"You okay?"

__

Rapunzel grimaced. "Well...the Great Mother showed me another vision..."

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"Ah."

__

"...of you."

__

" _Oh._ "

__

"I'm sorry, I swear I don't control what I see, it just-it happens, and I--" Eugene held up a hand, "You don't need to try and explain it." She sighed sadly. "I know that it's whole thing is that it knows all things on Earth, but why does it come for me specifically?"

__

"I have no idea." 

__

"Me neither." Eugene took off his shirt, ready to hop into bed. "What did it show you this time?" Rapunzel frowned, "It showed me when you had taken that bath before dinner after you brought me home that day." 

__

"Did you... _like what you saw?_ " he flirted. She giggled, "I did...but that wasn't the part I was concerned about." Eugene became more concerned. "It...it showed you that panic attack I had there, didn't it?" She nodded. His eyes looked away in shame. "I had no idea how scared you were." He started sputtering. "Well.... I-I don't think _scared_ is the right word...a little nervous, maybe, a tad anxious...just...it's a lot of- it's...it's complicated." Rapunzel nodded. "I know. I'm proud of you for staying, Eugene." He still seemed ashamed. "I didn't really...want to leave...I just...he had sentenced me to death by hanging the day before we got to the castle, so I just..." he dropped off. 

__

"Eugene, I would have put myself on the chopping block before he'd hurt you." He was taken aback by her boldness. No hesitation. She meant it. "Really?" Rapunzel shook her head, "You _died_ for me, my love. It's the least I could do." He blushed. He had no idea how strongly she felt about him after only 3 days. "Well...that just makes me really glad he didn't do anything to me." She giggled. "We should get some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

__

"I'm just glad that I can finally stay in your room without having to sneak back to mine", he said as he tucked himself in. She hugged his chest. "Don't you feel bad for Lance, though?" He scoffed, "Please. He's probably thrilled." She giggled. 

__

"I'm sorry the stone keeps showing me stuff like that."

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"You don't need to apologize. There's always some weird cosmic or magical explanation that comes with these things. We'll figure it out." He kissed her cheek. "Good night."

__

"Good night."

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Rapunzel closed her eyes and began her drifting to sleep. Eugene stared up at the ceiling. 

__

'She really did love me after 3 days.'

__

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

__

Cassandra ran like her life depended on it. In this case, Iris' life depended on it. Galen was not too far behind her, but she definitely outpaced him. He caught onto the fact that Cassandra thought Keelan might be after Iris and ran with the same urgency. 

__

'I can't believe you let her get in danger like that. You should have been able to protect her! Why couldn't you protect her, you selfish, horrible piece of--' She stopped suddenly. 

__

Iris was there. So was Keelan. 

__

"There you are", said Keelan menacingly to Cass, "I've been looking for you." 

__

"What do you want with her?!" Cass asked angrily. "I was going to have a chat with her, but well--", Keelan paused, hopped behind Iris and put the sword against her neck, "she's not much for conversation." Iris was hyperventilating. Cass's blood boiled, "Get away from her!" she demanded. Keelan laughed. "Fine." They lowered the sword from her neck. "After all, she's not who I'm after. Not really." They lifted the sword upward. 

__

"Not when you're here." 

__

They dashed to Cassandra and violently clashed their sword against her spear. They held each other at bay. "Why don't you fight me, bounty-hunter? I'm right here", they taunted. "Because lucky for you, someone asked me not to." 

__

"KEELAN!" Galen's voice boomed through the forest. "G-Grandfather?" He appeared behind the cloaked child as if out of nowhere. In their confusion, Galen easily knocked them off their balance, and grabbed the sword before it could land on Cass, using it to hold against his grandchild. Cass watched these events in horror, unable to look away. "What do you think you're doing, Keelan?!" 

__

"The bakery girl knew the bounty hunter! I had do something!" 

__

"You needed to do NOTHING! You shouldn't have taken from that shop in the first place!" 

__

"We needed the money, Grandfather!"

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"We would have found another way! You didn't need to violently rob anyone! You didn't need to destroy the jail!" 

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"Mom's going to die! She needs a doctor, now!"

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"This wasn't the way to help her! And you know it!"

__

Keelan was clearly harboring sobs in their throat. 'Why didn't Galen mention that this was why they did it? Did he know?' Iris spoke up. "Um, Keelan, I may not know your family situation, but...if I had a child, and I found out they robbed someone violently to get money for a doctor...I don't think I'd feel too happy with them." They growled at her, but Galen stopped them. "She's correct. Your mother wouldn't want this for her. We can ask her when we get home." He pulled his grandchild by the robe and held onto them. "Cassandra, I owe you a debt of gratitude for your assistance and especially for your mercy." He pulled something from his robe, a small compass. "This will help guide you to our abode. I would be more than happy to assist you with anything you may need... or if you would simply like a good cup of tea." He tossed the compass to her. Cass looked curiously at the strange object. Before she could look up to say anything more, the two had vanished. 

__

Keelan looked to their palm once they reformed away from the scene. In it was a green stone with a yellow and blue swirl engraved in the middle. The yellow was still very dimly lit, but the blue was flickering. 

__

Iris was standing there, stunned by what had occurred. 

__

"Iris!" She ran up and hugged the baker's daughter. "Are you okay?!" Iris was blushing and could let out a simple, "I'm-I'm okay, Cass. Honest. Are you okay?!" Cass laughed in relief. "I'm perfectly fine. What were you doing here anyway?" Iris, unsure how to answer that question without sounding weird, replied, "Well, I wanted to...come and thank you. For earlier. Then, well, cloak kid showed up and uh, they kind of tried to get into your house, and I uh...well, I blocked the door." Cass was bewildered. "Why did you do that? You could have been hurt!" Iris nodded saying, "I know, but...I didn't want them to hurt you." Cass sighed stressfully. "I'm really glad I showed up when I did. I don't think I could forgive myself if I let them hurt you." Iris blushed. "I'm sorry." Cass shook her head, "No, you have nothing to be sorry for, I'm just glad you're safe." Cass looked to her basket. "Did you manage to get any berries?" Iris looked to her basket and exclaimed, "Oh no! I didn't get a chance and it's almost sundown!" Cass smiled, "I'll help you, Iris. We're not too far from the berry patch your dad was talking about." 

__

They used what little sunlight they had left to pick the berries and get to the town before dark. They spent the time picking and talking about what had happened, as well as other things that had happened around town. Cass usually managed to get past some more personal questions Iris might ask. She wasn't sure if she was ready yet to tell Iris everything. Regardless, she was happy to answer her less personal questions, and was happy to know more about Iris. They arrived to the bakery just as the peaks were growing dim. 

__

"Thank you Cass. For everything." 

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"I'm happy to help. I'm really sorry you got caught up in this mess."

__

"Aw, there wasn't any harm done, Cass."

__

Iris went to open the door, but Cass said, "Wait." She stopped and looked to Iris. "So, I know this isn't exactly the kind of thing you're supposed to ask friends, but you're the closest friend I have here and well..." she dropped out. "What is it?"

__

"I got invited to this wedding in a few months. I would really appreciate if you could join me for it because I don't know if I'll be okay going alone." Iris was surprised. 

__

"I'd love to, Cass! That sounds like so much fun! Oh my goodness, is there a dress code?!" 

__

Cass smiled, "I don't think so, I'd say something nice would do the trick." Iris nodded excitedly, "Okay! I'll start looking through my closet. Who's the lucky bride...or groom...or whoever you're going for?" Cass giggled. 

__

"Their names are Rapunzel and Eugene. I think you'll like them."

__

Keelan laid on their bed of straw. Their mother laid in the straw bed next to him, her breathing labored. Keelan couldn't stand the sound, the idea that their mother was suffering made him cringe. The child was devoid of hope. The thought of that money going to waste when she needed help destroyed them. Keelan tried to look to the green stone, hoping for another vision, another way to help.

__

The stone was gone. 

__

Their eyes widened in shock 

__

"Cassandra", they uttered through gritted teeth. 

__

They grabbed their cloak.

__


	7. One More Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rapunzel and Eugene finally make their way out to the glowing light the next evening. Cass ruminates on her feelings for once when Keelan suddenly confronts Cass concerning a missing stone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the idea that Cass and Rapunzel's relationship is a case of unrequited love from Cass. I like their ship, although I feel like certain things could have gone better in the series when it came to the two of them, even before the MoonCass plotline. Enjoy!

Morning came quickly after a strange evening, and for once, Eugene didn't have anywhere to run. He could lie right there for as long as he needed. Unfortunately for him, as long as he needed wasn't very long, considering his list of necessary items to complete, so he made the bold sacrifice of opening his eyes. He'd grown quite used to the sadness and delicacy of having to move himself out from underneath her arms so he could run back to his and Lance's room, but there was no need to run now. It surprised him when he turned to look at Rapunzel, expecting her to still be asleep, and found that there was no one there- only more pillows and the rest of the blanket -still warm too. The prince wasn't exactly thrilled about the possibility of her getting too far away after everything that happened last night. He grabbed his shirt, his uniform jacket, and a clean pair of pants ('Sun bless the efficient service here' he thought) and dashed out of the room, going down the hallway, then scanning the corridor once he reached the T. Crowley lurched down the hallway as usual, leering at his Highness with her usual countenance filled with disgust. 

"Mrs. Crowley! How are ya?!" 

"What do you want?" 

"Well, I don't suppose you've seen the Princess around, have you?"

"Of course I haven't! Do I look like a guard to you?"

"Well, with those pythons, I'd enlist right now if I were you!" he laughed nervously. She glared at him humorlessly. 

"Ask someone else", she suggested grouchily before continuing with her lurch. He decided the opposite direction of Crowley would be the best direction. He turned left and continued down the corridor, eventually making his way to the breakfast nook, hoping that she and his in-laws were dining there happily and he was simply late as normal. The nook was empty. He whimpered quietly in fear before turning around, bumping into the exact person he needed to see. 

"Oh, Rapunzel, there you are!"

"Hi, Eugene! You're usually late for breakfast." 

"Oh, you know, after, uh... _everything_ last night, I thought maybe I should be here." She may have detected a hint of anxiety in his voice because just after he said that, she asked him, "Are...you okay?" 

"Oh, me? Pshh, of course I'm okay. I'm-I'm great even! I'm just, you know, a little concerned about how you might be doing after..." She smiled at him, grabbed his shoulders affectionately and gave him a quick kiss, "I know you're concerned, but I promise, I'm fine. All things considered, I'm doing pretty well." Eugene sighed through his nose. "All right." 

"I'm just as concerned about you though. You did nearly bleed to death, so you know, I would have understood if you needed to sleep in for this one." 

"I would think the same thing for you, but you know what? I think we both need a good meal after that, don't you?" She nodded in agreement. "Mom and Dad aren't too far behind. Ready?" He took a deep breath. 

"Yeah."

Frederic and Arianna soon arrived and took their seats, also surprised by Eugene's punctuality. There was no need for him to really explain anything since they explained as much as they could yesterday. All he had to mention was that he felt he needed to leave to go with Rapunzel and they immediately approved. "I nearly lost two children in one night. If this is what it takes to ensure your survival and keep Corona safe, so be it", Frederic concluded. They enjoyed their breakfast together, taking time to describe their honeymoon to them, and discussing various business about the castle and important royal business, including Eugene's first audience shadowing, which was planned well before the business with The Great Mother began. That was strange to be a part of for Eugene; when the discussion leads to that point, they usually ask Eugene to leave since he was not quite at a proper clearance level yet, despite being the Captain of the Guard. Afterwards, they let the servants pick up the table and walked to the throne room together. 

"So we agree; you two will leave to look into this light business together, then return to the castle before venturing to Harriston", recounted Frederic. "That sounds like a deal to me, Dad", Eugene agreed, "Rapunzel?" He looked in her direction while she was nodding in agreement. "We'll tell you both about anything we find with the light", she replied. Frederic smiled and nodded. "Very well. We'll tell the servants to begin packing for you both. In the meantime, Eugene, it's time for you to join us for audience." Eugene let out a nervous breath. "Right. That should go well, right?" Frederic gave him a stern look. "Your service to the kingdom, aside from your skill in combat, is to listen to your citizens and ensure the growth and happiness of your kingdom, lest we encourage revolt." Eugene's eyes widened at the thought of him encouraging revolt. "Okay, well, this should be fine, right?" Rapunzel remembered the disaster of her first audience without her parents. This has gotten better the more experienced she became at leadership, but she understood her husband's hesitance. She held his hand and encouraged him, "You'll be okay. No one's expecting you to make any big decisions here. I'll be right next to you."

"...promise?"

"I promise." 

Eugene exhaled through his nose. "That's a big help." They walked up to their thrones together, ready for Eugene's first shadowing session for his future when he would be truly considered a Prince-Consort.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nighttime came quick after an eventful day. Dinner was cooking over a warm fire in Cassandra's chimney. She wore a blanket as it was a colder night than she might have expected, but it was all okay- she was home, she was safe, and so was Iris. This relieved a few other things as well. She didn't want to go to the wedding alone. It didn't feel right, not after everything. It felt strange to think about Corona like that, but going back alone felt unsafe. She was a born and raised Coronan, but she quickly felt right at home in Harriston. She was being invited to her best friend's wedding in spite of the King's orders; no one would look upon her kindly in Corona, but here, everyone looked to her kindly, as though she was a hero. She may not be ready to share her past to the town, but Iris was a different story. She felt like she would be ready to admit everything to Iris soon-most likely when they actually arrived at the wedding. Regardless, Cass felt a kind of closeness to Iris. She reminded her a lot of someone else she knew, someone whose wedding she would be going to in the summer. Iris is bright and warm and caring. She's fearless, but compassionate; brave, but merciful. It all felt so familiar, but Iris was so different. 

She loved Rapunzel deeply, more than she could ever bring herself to love anyone. She defended Rapunzel fiercely, even when she didn't need it. Rapunzel believed in her and forgave her when no one else would. They stuck together through everything those two years threw at them, but she loved it, as long as Rapunzel was there. She would've plucked the moon from the sky if it meant she could see Rapunzel smile. It broke her heart that Eugene found her first, and that they were hopelessly in love with one another, just like it broke her heart when she found herself fighting against her, and crushed it into dust when she discovered she was being manipulated against her too late. She knew that Rapunzel would never love her the same way, especially after last year. To her, she was like a sister, and loved her so. Now, she was getting married. She didn't want to hurt Rapunzel again by not attending, but something about going left a stabbing pain in her heart. She grew to respect Eugene after the way he helped Rapunzel during their feud; he wasn't the same man he was three years ago, and if she was getting married to the Eugene she first met, she may have had to go to the wedding just to object. Now, Cass knows that she'll be in good hands. That may have hurt even more, she wasn't quite sure. Either way, Iris would be a huge help during the wedding. She found herself close to her somehow, and rather quickly. 

Cass and Iris first met when Cass first attempted bounty hunting. It was an easy task, all things considered; it helped that she knew Jacob by that point. It was another thief, a pickpocket. The two of them were sitting on a bench kept a watchful eye on the passing crowds, looking to see who it might be. Iris was hired to deliver lunch to an elderly woman named Edith, who then gave her payment upon delivery. Just after she left the house, she didn't even notice the pickpocket appearing behind her, and swiping until she looked into her bag and noticed the money was gone. Cass noticed, however, and was quick to stop it. The thief tried to run past the two of them, but Cass tripped him with her spear. She pulled him up by the collar and warned him, "I'd give that back if I were you." He quickly handed over the money, after which she handed the man to Jacob, who was quick to handcuff him. She was going to walk over to her, but there was no need as Iris rushed over, admiring everything that she did. She introduced herself, then marveled at her expertise and the way she handled everything. Iris invited her to the bakery enthusiastically. At first, she kindly declined, not wanting to take advantage of their kindness- after everything with Rapunzel, she wasn't sure about friends. Jacob, however, seemed to be on the side of friendship as he encouraged her to go; "I'll take care of our robber", he decided. She then accepted her offer, who then quickly brought her to her home. She was quick to tell her father everything, giving him the payment from Edith and introducing him to their hero. She blushed in embarrassment. He was quite happy to meet her, and hear the tale. He quickly gave her a fresh-baked loaf of bread out of appreciation. She thought she couldn't take it, both of them insisted. He went to the back, and they talked more. She got to know more about who Iris was, and vice versa. She was quite impressed with Iris and her father's resilience, especially after her mother went missing in war, and they found themselves with little money. She kept coming back after that day, using every opportunity she could to talk to her.

She liked talking to her; it brought warmth into an otherwise cold exile, and helped fill a hole she cut out of her own heart. Months passed, and she became one of her closest friends. She worried that perhaps Iris could tell she was hiding something, but it was hard to tell. At any rate, Cassandra moved from believing it was simple hero worship to thinking of Iris as a good friend. Iris liked to ask about what brought her to Harriston. Cass typically gave her the vague excuse that she liked Harriston's scenery from the paintings she saw. While that's not the whole story, it was true. Harriston is a beautiful town tucked away in the mountains, surrounded by trees and wildlife and fresh water- a good place to call a headquarters for her bounty-hunting business, isolated, but not too far from town. She was quite happy with her new routine, seeing Iris every day, and making money when she could, never needing much. It was peaceful and content. Still, one day, she knew she'd need to admit to Iris everything. Secrets would never get her very far. She learned that the hard way. 

_**BANG BANG** _

Someone or something was pounding at her door. Who could that be? It's too late for visitors up here. She didn't need to answer it as the door swung open itself. 

Keelan stood in the doorway, sword in hand once again.

"Moonstone!" they yelled accusatorily. 

"What?" she responded, shocked. How did they find out about her possession of the moonstone? Who told them?

"You've been the moonstone this entire time!" 

Cassandra stammered, "Y-You've got the wrong idea--"

"You're the reason why I couldn't use the Eye of the Earth sometimes! It worked fine on the grass growing through the crack on the prison floor! It stopped when you were chasing me and fighting me on the boat and when you came back for the bakery girl! If you were _anyone_ else, it would have been easy work getting you out of the way!"

"I--"

"YOU HELD US BACK!" they roared. They pulled the cloak off of their head, fully revealing themself. Keelan's hair was green like vines, leaves poking out of it in all directions, curled like ivy. Their eyes were green like malachite. "I WON'T LET YOU ANYMORE!" They held the sword out in front of them. Cass grabbed her spear. "Look, I don't know why you couldn't use the Eye of the Earth anymore, whatever that is, but I don't have the moonstone. The moonstone is gone!" 

They screamed and attacked her with the sword. She held them back with her spear. "That's impossible! No one else could have summoned the Eye! The Sundrop hasn't been seen in ages!" Sundrop. The name echoed through her head. It distracted her from what was happening, allowing Keelan to disarm her and trip her off-balance. Their weapon nicked her hand, leaving a stain on the tip of the sword pointed in her. She backed away from the angered child. 

"The Sundrop and the Moonstone have long been hampering the power of the Eye of the Earth. I finally found one of them. You took the Eye to destroy it once and for all! I'm here to end your oppression and take back what's truly mine! I am the Eye of the Earth incarnate!" She didn't know what to do, this kid seemed hellbent on killing her now that they knew about the Moonstone. There was something off, however. 

They were shaking.

Their breathing was shaky too. They didn't move the sword any closer to her. "I don't have the Moonstone. I don't have the Eye of the Earth. I don't even know what that is." She waited a moment. "But if killing me is going to magically make you feel better, then do it." She called their bluff. They wanted to, as badly as Keelan wanted anything in their life, almost as badly as they wanted to heal their mother. 

But nothing happened. 

"DO it! You have me cornered! Now KILL ME!" she demanded. 

The sword fell to the floor. 

The kid was sobbing. 

"I-I can't do it!" 

Cassandra sighed. It worked. "I'm glad." They sniffled. "I'm-I'm so sorry", they choked out. The vines on their head lowered. Cass wasn't sure how to approach this. On the one hand, they did try to kill them. On the other hand, they stopped themself and Sun knows that she had been there before. "Look, clearly, you have some problems to sort out with your mom. Going after me isn't going to find your stone, and it isn't going to help your mom." They looked at Cassandra, eyes red and puffy. "I...I know. And I'm so sorry. I-I don't know what happened. I looked away for a second and it disappeared. I was-I was born with the Eye. I was told the tales since I was a kid, about how the Moonstone and the Sundrop work to stop the Eye. We've always been together. I knew it was a part of me, no matter what. The last thing I expected was for it to just...leave." Cass was surprised. Not even Rapunzel was able to do much without the Sundrop or the sliver of moonstone being held to her heart. How did they do it? Still unsure, but knowing she needed to tell them, she explained. 

"A little over a year ago, I had found the Moonstone. I took it and I bound it to my heart, stupidly. I caused a lot of harm with it, but thankfully, I managed to bring it to the Sundrop. The both of them are gone. I watched them go to space." Keelan was confused. "But...why did it flicker blue when I was near you?" Cass shook her head. "I have no idea." This gave Keelan an idea. "You know...sometimes, I leave the stone at home. It happens. I find that even though I'm farther away from it than I would like to be, I'm still connected. Even now, when I have no idea where the stone as gone...I'm still connected to it. I can feel it. It's not gone, but it feels...far away, if that makes sense." He paused a moment to think. "I have an idea. When I leave, and get far away enough from you, I'll leave you proof. If I can be connected to it still, I'm sure somehow, you can be connected to the moonstone too."

"Keelan, I don't want to be connected to it."

This shocked the Eye of the Earth incarnate. "I didn't ask to be connected to the Eye, but I am. You linked yourself to the moonstone. You've created your destiny. That's...insanely cooler."

Cass was mixed. Her connection with the Moonstone was a mistake. She didn't truly want it; she was manipulated into it. Then again, she knew there would be consequences, but thought it only went as far as exile. How would this work? Can she still connect to the moonstone? 

Keelan, embarrassed by the whole thing, decided, "I need to go." They picked up their sword and headed for the door. 

"Wait!"

Keelan turned around.

"Please don't tell anyone what I told you."

Keelan placed the cloak back on their head. 

"Your secret is safe with me." 

The next morning, Cass awoke, ready to start another run through the mountains. Waiting for her in front of her door was a small flower that wasn't there before.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight shined on the town in one last glimmer. The couple waited at the castle doors with Maximus, watching the scenery ahead of them, waiting for the light to glow once more. 

"So what are you thinking?" Eugene asked. "I'm thinking that the sun needs to go down", she answered. "Well, I don't blame you for that." Rapunzel turned to him.

"What are you thinking?" she asked in response. Eugene wasn't quite sure what she meant. "You kind of skulked around after audience. Not your thing?"

"Well, it's can't _not_ be my thing. One day, you'll become Queen, I'll become Prince-Consort, and we'll be ruling over Corona, and when that happens, audiences are going to be a regular part of our day."

"So why do you sound disappointed?"

He wasn't quite sure. Audience itself wasn't that big of an issue, especially as he was only shadowing it. "Rapunzel, how do I be a Prince?"

She waited a moment, thinking about it, then answered, "There's no manual, really. I learned through a lot of hard work. I listened to those who both want to help you and need your help, like Nigel and Dad, and also Xavier and... _Monty_." She took a little bit to recover from that. "You don't become an effective leader of a country in one night." Eugene looked to the horizon a little nervously. "But, Eugene, you're already an effective leader." He seemed doubtful at that remark. "But that's just the Royal Guard. I'd be ruling over the entire kingdom."

"People already look up to you. You were there to help protect Corona when Cass had the moonstone, and you're still helping Corona rebuild after Zhan Tiri. You're already a leader. A new title won't change that." Eugene smiled at her. She kept staring into the horizon, anxious for the sun to keep going down.

"Has twilight always been this long?" she asked impatiently.

"Well, summer does seem to be the season for cosmic events. We always choose the perfect timing."

She chuckled at his remark and looked down to the stone. "I guess there was a little bit of a choice when it came to this. After all, I didn't _have_ to take the stone." Eugene admired the sun reflecting off of her soft skin and the way twilight formed a twinkle in her emerald eyes. "Blondie, this is you we're talking about here. I think I'd be a little disappointed to see you pass on something like this", he said, "I know this should have just been a hunt for Cass, and you seemed to regret that it turned into another cosmic mystery when we talked last night- understandable really, since it did nearly kill us- but you're not really the type to let a problem go once you recognize that there's a problem."

No more words were needed. The stone was fully glowing once again. Her head pivoted towards the horizon- the light slowly appeared in the same spot once again. 

"Finally", she whispered. 

"Showtime, sunshine. Hop on!" 

The two of them climbed onto Maximus' back. Lance was running out, yelling, "Hold on a minute, you two!" The two turned to his figure running towards them. He was huffing and puffing once he arrived. "I thought-I thought you guys weren't going to Harriston until tomorrow." Eugene replied, "And you thought right. We're heading towards the light." 

"Wait, _that_ light?!" Lance pointed towards the light in the distance.

"Do you have another one?"

"No, but...doesn't that seem risky for both of you to go?"

Rapunzel replied, "We have no choice. Don't worry, Lance, we've gotten ourselves out of sticky situations before, we'll be back later. I promise." 

Lance, knowing how rarely her promises are broken, took it to heart. "All right. I want you both back here by 10, got it?" Rapunzel was chortling. "You spend too much time with Kiera and Catalina." Lance blushed a little, "Well, you know..." Rapunzel smiled brightly, "Don't worry, Dad, we'll be home by curfew." Lance replied jokingly, "All right, but no dessert for a week if you don't." She laughed as Eugene whipped the reins, prompting Max to make his way for the light ahead. He started a trot that quickly escalated to a gallop. Eugene signaled a goodbye with a quick two-finger salute while they rode into the sunset. 

They passed through the gate. So far, so good; Eugene's wounds didn't re-open, and Rapunzel didn't collapse. Perhaps they did need to go into this together. Rapunzel sighed in relief. Eugene asked, "You okay back there?" 

"I'm good, just...I'm glad nothing's happened yet." 

"Yeah, me too. You're not feeling lightheaded, are you?" 

"No. You're not either, right?"

"Nope. My mind is completely clear." 

"Good." She held onto him tighter since she knew how bumpy this part of the road tended to get, especially for Max. He didn't mind her at all. It was an unusually cold night for summer, so this helped keep him warm. "You cold back there, sunshine?" 

"I mean, a little bit. I didn't expect it to be this cold." 

"Me neither. We'll be okay though, just keep holding on." 

That wasn't a problem for her. Even though he was just as cold as her, she found him warmer than not holding onto him. They kept traversing through the forest. The path felt familiar to the two of them. It hit her where she was going once she passed by a familiar stone. 

"Oh, no." One turn ahead, they entered into a cave and found a place with which, they were a little too familiar. Eugene stopped Max once they were in.

"You know how many times I've nearly broken my rule about dying in the same place twice?" he asked rhetorically. 

It was the glen- the same glen Rapunzel lived in for eighteen years. The air was filled with a glowing yellow aura, lit up and completely visible, swirling with a blue aura. The light was floating several feet above where they were.

"I'm not too thrilled either, Eugene." She walked forward towards the center where the light floated high above them, feeling...something. It was warm, gentle, and familiar. It was something that she didn't realize was missing. Eugene followed behind, very tense, worried about this place. Despite the way he bragged about it when he showed Cassandra three years ago, he wasn't very happy with dying here-at that point, he was more just amazed by Rapunzel than anything else. 

"I...I don't know how we get up there." Conveniently after saying this, she noticed a stairstep appearing in front of her made out of yellow light. She placed a foot in the air and delicately laid it down, noticing it felt solid beneath her. Another appeared, then another and another. She followed them cautiously. Eugene, although pretty sure it wouldn't work for him, still made an attempt to use the stairs that were appearing in front of her just to see if maybe it could work. Once he felt solid ground under his boot, he was rather amazed, then quickly returned to tense and continued following behind her. It created a staircase to the very top, surrounding it by eerily familiar walls made of the same light. After the two reached the top, the staircase was replaced by solid ground. "Okay, we don't need to get down, cool..." he responded to the disappearance anxiously whispering. She continued her walk to the light. The walling created such a familiar scene, the window was recreated almost exactly. The furniture was even recreated the closer the two of them walked to the light. She couldn't figure out why the light placed itself where it did, nor could she remember what had happened in that specific spot, but it was an all too familiar spot. 

She heard a calling, like she heard the night before their wedding. It came from the light. She wasn't sure what it was saying, but it grew louder and louder. She sat on her knees to have a closer look, and reached for it slowly, making the calling grow louder and louder to the point where now, even Eugene could hear it. 

It hit Eugene at once. The way she was sitting and the way the window was positioned. He moved behind the window to confirm. His heart fell to his stomach. This was the scene from his nightmares. He wasn't sure what would happen next, but fear overtook him, only able to quietly call Rapunzel's name. He wanted to stop her, and nearly made himself move.

Then she touched it. 

Her eyes started to glow, blue in her left eye and yellow in her right. A black and jagged casing slowly formed around her. From her hand, it creeped around her arm, down her shoulders to her other arm, then down her back to her feet, with the last of it encasing her head. 

Eugene screamed and threw himself at his wife. The rocks blasted him from his spot, knocking him back several feet away from her. He was unable to move her from her position, or stop the encroaching rock formation from creating the rock silhouette of Rapunzel that he beheld in horror. 

"Rapunzel?! RAPUNZEL?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it until after Christmas. Have a happy holiday! :)


	8. An Unexpected Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rapunzel finds herself meeting an old friend. Cass seeks advice, but has a prior commitment to attend to first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you had happy holidays! Enjoy this chapter!

Images.

Images flashed through Rapunzel's head. They were quick, appearing like lightning in a stormy sky and disappearing just as fast, unable to be comprehended fully. Some, however, she knew too well: the tower, the castle, Eugene, Cass, the Moonstone, the Sundrop, the Dark Kingdom, her mother. It was impossible to understand their meaning, why they appeared, or what she should do, but they soon evaporated into nothingness, leaving her to look at herself. It was a yellow silhouette of Rapunzel with her long, blonde hair, eyes glowing, appearing in the blackness like a singular ray of sunshine. The silhouette said nothing from it's mouth, but words could be understood anyway, not sounding like Rapunzel at all, nor like anyone she ever met.

"You found me."

Rapunzel was confused, unsure where she was or what was happening in front of her, but she kept an arm over her eyes as the figure was blinding. It continued on, sounding very happy to see her.

"I need you, Rapunzel."

She kept trying to stare at the image. "Please." The figure reached a hand out to Rapunzel, "I love you, Rapunzel." Rapunzel stared up to the figure still, despite it's blinding nature. "I don't understand. What are you?" Rapunzel asked worriedly. "We have been together since your birth. It must stay that way, for the good of us all." Rapunzel needed a second. 

"Are...are you my conscience?" The figure said nothing, only keeping out a hand. Something appeared in it, however. A glowing yellow flower shone brightly in it's palm.

"The Sundrop! You're the Sundrop!" she exclaimed. 

The silhouette was fading from existence. Rapunzel quickly reached out and grabbed the sunstone. It felt like an electric shock to her heart, but the most fantastic jolt anyone could feel. At last, something she never knew was missing within her finally returned. 

A blue figure appeared in place of the yellow, far weaker looking, but almost shaped like an old friend and lady-in-waiting. "The Sundrop needs you. The Eye will lead the way." These words repeated. Still unclear what it meant, Rapunzel reached out, "I don't understand!" Her pleas changed nothing. "Please!" The blue figure continued her unending mantra.

"I don't understand!"

Outside of Rapunzel's inner labyrinth where she met with her destiny, her husband was by her side, worried about her fate. "I need to get you out of here!" he kept telling the statue. He attempted to pick her up, push her from the light, or pull her away, but her black stone casing made her as heavy as a thousand suns. He had no way to release her from the stony prison. He found himself pressing his forehead against her head, one hand tucked under her chin and the other arm wrapped around her shoulders. 

"I'm so sorry", he mumbled, "I can't get you out." He kept his head against her, fighting back tears of frustration. 'Please, get out of there alive' he thought desperately. 

Almost on cue, light peeked through the stone. It started from her hand, a giant crack forming that traveled down her arm, to her back, to her legs. Yellow light shone through it, and the stone finally split in half. The stone encasing fell to two sides. Eugene was elated to see that she was no longer trapped. This did not last. 

Once her form was free, the light returned to its owner. He gazed in amazement when it was revealed what formed the light to begin with- the Sundrop and Moonstone in their combined form. Rapunzel was on her hands and knees, taking in whatever breath she could after being trapped in the stone. Dizzy, with her vision fogged, she stared at the stones. Eugene tore his gaze away from the stones, ready to get his wife out of the tower no matter what it took, but the Sundrop had other plans.

The flower broke away from the Moonstone, and raced inexorably towards Rapunzel's heart like a bullet. It knocked her onto her back from the sheer force. 

Eugene screamed in horror and fell by her side, lifting her head into his arms. She laid there unconscious. He was horrified, but knew there was an opportunity; Now she was carriable, with nothing weighing her down. "I'm getting you out of here!" he declared. He picked her up, wrapped her arms around him to carry her like a backpack, and ran for the staircase, only to be quickly reminded that the stairs were gone. There was one other option leading to the outside world: the window. He walked up to it, weighing his options: either they fall to what could potentially be their death, or they could stay locked in the tower for an indeterminate amount of time.

Unfortunately, a decision was made for him. 

The castle disappeared, and the footing underneath him vanished. The couple quickly descended, their deaths awaiting them at the ground. He screamed in fear, holding onto her arms in desperation. Just before the two reached the ground to meet the End, they stopped in the middle, and Eugene was jerked into the air suddenly. His gaze pivoted towards what stopped them; 

It was Rapunzel. 

Her eyes glowed yellow, and her arms were extended outwards. Keeping a firm grip, he climbed closer to her body to see if he could find out what was going on. He clung to her shoulders like a sloth to a tree, trying to connect with her to see if she was still there. "Rapunzel?" he asked softly. She began a much calmer descension, but this still led to the Prince panicking and grasping onto Rapunzel with every fiber in his body. Her feet landed gently on the grass, followed shortly by his boots. Once they both reached the ground, her arms lowered, and her glow in her eyes faded. Her body fell to the ground, but Eugene was quick to fall to his knees and hold her before she could touch it. Slowly, her eyes opened, and she found herself in the arms of her husband. 

"Hey, Sunshine", he greeted calmly. 

She smiled weakly. She took a deep breath, trying to take in what had happened before their fall. "Did I miss anything fun?"

"I promise you, you _don't_ want to know."

She laughed weakly, then reached up to cup his face into her hand and kiss him. He melted into it pretty easily, filled with relief that the scariest part was over and she was alive to see it. He released himself from their tender kiss, ready to ask a million questions. She had few answers to give. Pascal climbed onto her shoulders and gave her face as big a hug as the small reptile could give. She returned it with a gentle hand. 

He picked her up and placed her on Max's saddle before climbing up onto the horse himself, ready to report back to their Majesties with what little information they had. The light of the Kingdom of Corona greeted them warmly in the distance, far better than the cold and mysterious light that awaited them in the glen moments ago. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Every day, Cass made it farther into the mountains, but she refused to recognize her progress. Every day, she grew closer to the people of Harriston through her deeds, but she never recognized their fondness for her. Every day, she grew to love baked goods more and more, but never recognized what made her keep going back. Every day, Iris kept getting to know Cass, but she refused to reveal anything more than what she's already told the baker's daughter. Every day, Harriston felt like home, like she'd lived here forever, but she never recognized it as such. 

She only had one thing on her mind; there was a wedding in a few weeks in Corona. Cass' boat left tomorrow to attend. 

She sat in front of her fireplace, although it was only afternoon, and not even particularly cold. It felt right to her. It had been some weeks since her incident with Galen and Keelan. She kept the compass on her person since, not wanting to lose it. She made the tea he gave her that day, a nice Earl Gray, which she figured out was an acquired taste. It relaxed her after a tough day. This was definitely a tough day where she needed the calming effect, but it didn't seem to hit quite the same.

Galen's offer echoed through her head, "I would be more than happy to assist you with anything you may need... or if you would simply like a good cup of tea." 

Cassandra could have certainly gone with a good cup of tea...or perhaps assistance. Now that Keelan didn't have a blood feud against her (in fact, she hadn't heard from them since their incident), perhaps she could finally take up the old man on the offer he made all that time ago. She wouldn't be too long, she was sure. She grabbed her spear, just in case Keelan changed their mind, and opened the door.

The flower that Keelan grew in front of her door had grown quite lovely since they left it for her. With Iris' help, Cass replanted it into a spot that she left on the side of a small creek not too far from her house. In fact, Iris usually came to tend to it around this time of day, when she could pry herself away from her work. Cassandra almost forgot this until she opened the door to Iris' surprised face, fertilizer in hand. 

"Whoa! I only have fertilizer, I swear!" she announced, with her hands in the air to signify she's unarmed.

Cass felt a wave of embarrassment overtake her, hastily placing the spear behind the wall, gasping through gritted teeth. "I know you do, Iris. I'm sorry for scaring you." Iris slowly lowered her hands, "That's all right. Were you going somewhere?" Cass wasn't sure how to respond. "Well...yes, but I think...I think the flower comes first, don't you?" Iris became suspicious of her leniency, but also cared about the flower they were growing together. "You know what? You're absolutely right. We should fertilize it first." Cass left the spear behind and got to work to ensure the flower's survival. Iris loved flowers; it was a hobby she took part of when she wasn't baking. She told Iris that the flower she had grow in front of her door was a Snow Buttercup, not very common in the mountains of Harriston. It thrived in a rocky environment near water, so she recommended replanting it in the mountain creek and fertilizing it properly in hopes that this would help encourage regular care. 

She and her father usually finished the bulk of baking around that time as they usually start baking at 5AM, so she usually had plenty of time to come to the mountains during the afternoon. A few weeks ago, the day after Keelan put a sword to her throat, she came to give Cassandra a loaf of bread as a gift to thank her for the berry hunting/sword fighting the day before when Cass was kneeling above it, attempting to dig up the flower. She quickly ran up to Cass to stop her from potentially killing it. 

"I don't want to keep trying to avoid it." Iris smiled at her, "I completely get that. I've had to uproot flowers on more than one occasion, so I've learned how to keep them alive. I can help if you'd like." Cass decided to take her up on her offer, which led to a mid-afternoon trip to the flower shop. Lucina ran the shop in place of her elderly mother, Edith, and recognized the both of them right off the bat; after all, Iris was a loyal customer and Cass has brought stolen money back to her and her mother several times. She told Cass all about Snow Buttercup care. Iris picked out a good fertilizer to care for it, and started thinking of an appropriate spot.

"I don't want this to come off the wrong way, Cassandra, but...you don't seem much like a flower person", Lucina confessed to her. She directed her attention to Iris who was exploring the store with an enthusiasm familiar to her.

"I'm learning to be" Cass responded.

Iris grabbed her favorite trowel from her room in the bakery, ready to move the plant from her house to the creek. Overall, Cass remembered that day fondly; it was far more peaceful than the previous day. From then on, Iris would come to Cass's cabin, and the two of them would check in on the flower. It was overall, a much nicer way to spend the afternoon than sitting in her cabin alone or fighting a wanted poster's subject. Of course, sometimes, Cass' duties would keep her away for longer than she would like, but Iris was patient. She would wait by the door, ready to go whenever she would come back. Cass did everything she could to try and come back at the normal time, and Iris would be there, ready to take care of a beautiful flower.

What was special about today, several weeks after they replanted the flower, was that a day before they would leave for a wedding, a new flower had appeared. Iris couldn't contain her excitement at the development. Cass loved it. The two of them fertilized each flower, and cut away any weeds that might have threatened it. The creek flowed gently in front of them while they tended to their flowers. 

"You know, I know that flowers don't last forever, but..." Iris dropped out. 

"But?"

"But...there's something so special about caring for something that's so...fleeting, I guess. They're these beautiful things, but they're so temporary, you know?"

Cass smiled, "I do know. But the thing about them is that, unless something incredibly serious happens...they usually come back soon."

Iris returned the smile. "You're right. They do, and I'm always happy to see them." Cassandra stood up, having finished fertilizing her flower. She watched Iris tend to her Snow Blossom for a few seconds, appreciating the tender care she placed into the delicate flower. Once the expert stood up, Iris walked to Cass' side as she led her back to her cabin. They soon reached the door, and Iris was ready to head back to the bakery, but not before getting an answer. 

"So where were you headed earlier?" 

Cass, still unsure if Keelan would be too happy to see her, decided to leave the answer vague, "Oh, just...taking care of some business. It's a little overdue." Iris raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Cass had given her another vague answer, and she was getting a little tired of them. Her need to avoid confrontation, however, superseded her need to know more. 

"Oh. All right." Iris walked away, back to the path to town, waving goodbye to her friend. Cass returned it before grabbing the compass from her pocket and the spear from behind the door, ready to follow in the direction that the compass pointed. She felt bad for having to avoid another question from Iris, but it was worth it. She couldn't bear hurting another friend, so she was quite glad that Iris was returning to the bakery unharmed.

Iris had other plans. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frederic and Arianna were settling into their thrones, almost ready to retire for the evening, but knew perfectly well they needed to wait for Rapunzel. It shouldn't be too long now. Arianna seemed distracted, certainly not in the room with her husband mentally. 

"Is something the matter, my love?" 

Arianna continued her gaze into nothingness. 

"Arianna", Frederic placed his hand gently on hers. This snapped her from her trance, which made her pivot her head towards the cause of her pull to reality. She placed her other hand on top of his. 

"I'm sorry, Frederic. I was just...thinking." Frederic wasn't surprised. "I'm sure you and I are in the same place. You're worried about her, aren't you?" She sighed, "It just...I keep thinking about the Sundrop." Frederic's eyebrows furled in sadness, "How do you mean?" Arianna grimaced, "Frederic, you saved my life, and I have always been grateful to you for that. I always will be. But..."

"But?"

She wasn't sure how to phrase it in a way that wouldn't make her seem ungrateful, but she attempted to do so, "But...I keep thinking about everything that Rapunzel has gone through. It lead to so much for all of us. She was kidnapped because of it, she's placed her life on the line on several occasions using it, and all of it just..." She dropped out, unsure what to finish it. 

"You wonder if it was worth the cost to Rapunzel", he finished. 

She frowned, not wanting to sound like she didn't appreciate what he did, but she couldn't keep it hidden for much longer. Grace and poise only lead a queen so far. 

"My dear, I wonder the same thing sometimes", Frederic held her hand once again, "But then, it is a difficult situation to reflect upon and find a clearly correct choice. Your life was on the line, and the birth of our unborn daughter rested on your survival, as well as the future of the kingdom." Frederic sighed. "I don't know if I could have bared the pain of losing you too." He focused on the floor beneath him. "You know I wept when she was taken." Arianna nodded, "As did I." Frederic gave a solemn look to Arianna. "I feared for her life then, I still fear for her life now, especially in times like these, but Rapunzel has shown herself to be capable and independent, a perfect queen for Corona. I think that whatever happens, my dear, I regret nothing when it comes to giving you the Sundrop's blessing. It saved you, it saved Corona, and it created an incredible person, someone I'm proud to call my daughter." 

Arianna smiled in a way that still revealed her sadness, "You're right. I know you are. I've rooted for Rapunzel's independence for as long as she's been in the castle, and I've watched her grow up so much just in the last few years. Still, I don't love to see her struggle. It was horrible to watch her go through what she did when she was defending the castle from Cassandra and Zhan Tiri, and it was just as horrible to see her the way we did last night. I feel like I feel the pain with her, as strange as it sounds." Frederic couldn't help but chuckle at that, "My heart breaks for her, too. But clearly, we can't protect her, no matter how hard I try. She learned very well how to protect herself, and of course, Eugene has proven himself to be an incredible partner for her. I think the two of them will do well together." 

"I know we had our differences with him, but it's a relief that he turned around like he did, especially considering our--"

Their conversation was interrupted by the large throne room doors opening, Rapunzel running past them ready to report what happened. Eugene was right behind her, but kept a slower pace. He was as pale as a ghost, still haunted by what had happened, but attempting to keep his cool. 

"Rapunzel!" Arianna exclaimed happily. She stood up, proving the perfect amount of room for Rapunzel to collide into her for a hug. She needed one desperately. Eugene stood back and watched their reunion, catching Frederic's attention. He decided to stand up as well, but go to Eugene instead, who was not the type to run in for a hug with anyone except the Princess, and occasionally Lance. "You look troubled, son. Are you all right?" Eugene let out an exasperated breath. "We...we went through a lot tonight, Dad. We might have gotten ourselves into more trouble than we thought." The good king placed a hand onto Eugene's shoulder. "You two are the only people I know of who are capable of steering through this kind of trouble." Eugene smiled to him, embracing his father-in-law's confidence. "Thanks, Dad." 

"Frederic", Arianna called, "You may want to take a seat."

The King turned around to look, sensing the fear in Arianna's eyes. Eugene frowned, not sure how to begin, but thankfully, Rapunzel started the story off right where it needed to start. From there, she wove a tapestry of otherworldly events, leaving Eugene with little need to say much of anything, although he did have the misfortune of having to explain the stone piercing through her heart as she didn't remember it. It pained him to be reminded of that gruesome event, but it needed to be done. It meant that Rapunzel was reunited with the Sundrop once again. 

"But...the hair..." Arianna interjected, "Wouldn't it have grown out now?" Rapunzel's hair had maintained it's chestnut, messy bob instead of the 70 feet of blonde hair typical of the Sundrop's alliance with her.

"Well, there's the thing; I think the fact that my hair didn't grow shows that it needs help." She looked to her heart, watching the dim light from the Sundrop glow weakly. "It said the Eye would lead the way, but...I don't know what that means."

"Will you still be going to Harriston tomorrow?" asked the King curiously. 

"I think we have to. It's the biggest hint I have from the Great Mother."

Frederic nodded grimly. "Very well. As I had told you before, the servants should have packed for you by now." Rapunzel nodded, sensing her father's unhappiness with the situation, but unsure what else could be done. Eugene decided to ask him a question. 

"You know, I'm a little surprised, Dad. Last time we had this kind of thing happen, you weren't too eager to let her go. What gives?"

"The last time I neglected these matters, my kingdom nearly fell to ruin on two separate occasions. I won't make that mistake again." Frederic smiled proudly to Rapunzel, "Besides, now I know she's perfectly capable of handling these matters herself." Rapunzel decided to give it some thought. She was gone for a week beforehand, and now she would be gone for another long period of time, going even farther than the Dark Kingdom now. 

"You know, I know we need to do this soon, but...I don't think it's a 'Leave first thing in the morning' kind of emergency." Eugene quickly turned his head to her in utter disbelief. Did he hear that right?

"You sure, Rapunzel? Because that definitely sounded like a 'We should really do this soon' type of thing from what you described to me."

"Well, let's think for a second; we were gone for a week beforehand already, we've been back here for two days, and we've barely performed any of our duties, which is a big thing because you now have _two_ lists of duties to attend to, Eugene." Rapunzel simpered, "Not to mention, there's no way the servants managed to get all of our clothes washed in time."

"Yeah, but you know, I think we can live with some sweaty clothes if it means the Earth will get saved quicker." 

Frederic had a good humor about it, and picked up on what she was trying to do. "My dear, you don't need to stay for longer than you need to, not for our sake." 

Rapunzel walked up and held her father's hands, "I'm serious, Dad. I'm not saying we'll wait forever, but... I think I was a little hasty with timing, I didn't even realize what needed to be done before hand, I just...jumped into a hot pot. I think it would be smarter to give ourselves this time to prepare." Eugene was a little worried, but he knew better than to doubt her. She clearly had a reason for doing this, and if she was sure they can wait a little, there wasn't much reason for him to fight. "Sunshine, if that's what you want, then I'm here for it." Rapunzel beamed at him for his support before returning to her father's eyes. He smiled, grateful that she was going to give them a little more time. "My dear, you wait as long as you need to." She hugged him, which he returned. "But, Rapunzel, you know that waiting for too long comes with it's consequences. I've learned them quite harshly these past two years alone." Rapunzel nodded, and responded, "I promise, we'll be taking care of this very soon." He squeezed her hand gently in a fatherly, I-Love-You gesture. She dashed from the pedestal towards her husband, who had an arm open to hold her while they walked to their room. 

"Frederic," Arianna commented, "are you okay?"

He smiled, relieved at what her daughter told him, "I'm quite well. We should go to bed ourselves." He stood up and offered a hand for his Queen. She took it, and held it all the way back to their bed chambers. 

Inside of the Prince and Princess' room, Eugene decided to let out some stress, pacing the room and talking quickly. 

"And then I see you just get covered in stone. Just, entirely cased in stone like a super-hot statue. I thought you were gonna suffocate in there for crying out loud! And then it has the _nerve_ to push me back like that. Really? I'm _so sorry_ that I was trying to stop you from trying to turn my wife into stone, Sundrop or Moonstone or whatever, but did you have to? Did you _really_? Was there absolutely no way it couldn't have just _told_ you all of that?!"

Rapunzel could have sworn his face was turning blue, so she decided to hop up and kiss his cheek, which seemed to stop him. "You think I'd be super-hot as a statue?"

"You're super-hot no matter what... but Venus, eat your heart out." She giggled, and kissed his lips this time. "To be fair, I don't think it was quite a choice for them. Remember what the moonstone's power was?" Eugene hardly needed reminding, but he thought of something, "Wait...do you think you would've stayed like that if it wasn't for the Sundrop?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "It's possible". Eugene face turned bleak. "Oh...lovely..." Rapunzel swung his arms in and out, "Good thing it didn't last. I would have had to compete with Venus." 

"And won, if you asked me." 

"I should have you judge my art more often." 

Pascal tapped his shoulder and pointed him towards Rapunzel's more recent work, a mountain scene, taken from their honeymoon. 

"Hm..." he started in a way that would mock the most critical of art critics, "Yes, these brushstrokes are..." he deepened his voice comically for emphasis, " _gorgeous_ " Rapunzel giggled at his silliness. "And this blend of colors, it would put Van Gogh to _shame_." She kept giggling at his example. "However, there can only be one winner." He sat down in the nearby window seat in a proud and emphatic posture, pointing his hands to his chest, "and it's _me_ ". She gasped in a overly dramatic and silly fashion, "This was rigged all along!" Eugene held out a hand and shook his head, "My love, I am a work of art. It's a tough life, but someone must walk this path." Rapunzel sat on his lap and poked at his chest rhythmically, "What happened to Venus eating her heart out?" 

"Oh, you'd crush her! It's me you need to worry about." 

She playfully ruffled his hair, leading to Eugene fixing it as best he could, but was distracted by the incoming arrival of his wife to his face. They enjoyed a lovely kiss under the moon. The Sundrop, the Moonstone, not even Cassandra could move them or stop them from enjoying this time before their departure. They may not be able to split too far apart from one another, but there was no reason not to find some pleasure in it, even in the face of a new celestial mystery.


	9. Dinner and Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cass meets a familiar face once again. The memory of Rapunzel and Eugene's first royal dinner comes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have an extra long one, folks. Tw for a small panic attack

_Sometime 3 years ago..._

There was something about the halls leading to the dining room that intimidated Rapunzel. She was in a new dress, in a new and huge castle, with a new friend, about to eat dinner with her new (well, not _new_ , but new to her) parents. Her heart was beating rapidly. 

'I mean, Rapunzel, I don't know what you're so worried about here', she thought, 'I mean everything's fine, right? You're out of the tower, you're with someone you care about, you have a family that really seem to like you, and for once, it means _you_ , not your hair. It's fantastic, right? Your parents won't immediately hate you, right?' 

She looked to Eugene, who kept looking forward. He looked so stoic, so sure, he was brimming with confidence, she was sure of it. 'Why can't I just have that kind of confidence? I mean, this is technically _my_ house, right?' 

"And here we are" announced Stan. Eugene let go of her hand and placed his behind his back. He didn't look at her. 'He's been acting really odd since we got here', she thought, 'Did I do something wrong? He's so quiet now, the most I heard him talk was when I had to beg him to come into my room. Is he mad at me? What did I do? Does he still like me?'

Stan and Pete stood in a guard position near each door and opened them to allow the Princess and her guest entry. Rapunzel quickly looked ahead, and tried to dash those thoughts aside so she wouldn't look unhappy. Pascal hopped from her shoulder into a hand she kept open for him. 

The two walked into a lovely affair, a white cloth dinner table with a beautiful floral arrangement in the middle, the room surrounded by portraits and statues. Rapunzel thought her room was huge, but the dining room seemed to dwarf it. Perhaps this was a special event. They did just have their long-lost daughter return to them after all. It seemed very regal as well- appropriate really. She looked around in amazement at the sight of the room. Her mother stood up and approached Rapunzel with a grace befitting of her Majesty. "I knew that would work! You look beautiful, Rapunzel", She sounded rather proud of her find, "And Frederic, doesn't Eugene look handsome with that suit?" Frederic nodded with a smile, "Ah, I loved that suit when I was your age. It fits you well, son." Rapunzel watched an coy smile form on his face, his cheeks blushing a little bit. She wanted to laugh, but didn't want to embarrass him further. "Thank you, your Majesty." 

"Well, why don't you take your seats?" Arianna suggested, "Rapunzel, you have no idea how long we've been looking forward to this." 

"A long time, I'm sure." 

Arianna grinned. Rapunzel was looking forward to knowing more about her. They embraced earlier, but she knew so little of her, she wasn't even aware she had a Queen, let alone another mother. The two took seats, Rapunzel next to her father, who was sitting at the head of the table, and Eugene next to Rapunzel. Arianna faced her on the opposite side of the table. Pascal took a place back on her shoulder now that they were no longer presenting. 

"So...who cooks dinner in this case? Do we take turns, or...?" Rapunzel asked. 

Frederic laughed, "No, my dear, that's what we have chefs for. At any rate, you wouldn't want my cooking, I assure you." She flashed a smile of enthusiasm, "I'm sure I'd love your cooking, Dad!" Arianna covered her mouth, attempting to conceal her laughter. "Perhaps I'll try to make something for you one day, my dear, but I'm sure it would only serve to make our chefs annoyed." Arianna encouraged him further, "I think you'd make a lovely meal, Frederic." Frederic gave that an "Oh-ho-ho" and said, "Really? Why don't you help us, Arianna?" 

"I would love to." 

Rapunzel felt excitement in her heart, "We could make a hazelnut soup together. It's delicious!" 

Her comment piqued Arianna's interest. "Is that a favorite of yours?" Rapunzel nodded, "It was made every year on my birthday." 

"Really?" 

She nodded, and continued, "Every year, Moth--Gothel would come back with the ingredients. It was one of the few times we ate together." 

"I see." She waited a moment, then asked uncomfortably, "Rapunzel...did she hurt you at all?"

That was a difficult question to answer for her. She pondered, 'Did she ever physically hurt me before yesterday? Not really. She kidnapped me, lied to me, manipulated me, and kept me trapped in a tower for the entirety of my childhood, but does that count as hurting? Did she ever leave a mark before I found out who I was? Not really, aside from a few smacks on the hand as a child, and occasionally pulling my hair, usually as a way to keep me from moving when she needed me to stay still. She had an effective leash on me for as long as I can remember, but did she hurt me?'

"Well...I mean...it depends, I guess..." She took a moment, "I-I suppose, yesterday she did, yes, but that was-that was kind of rare, really. I think it was rare. Was it rare?" 

Arianna's concern was evident. "What happened yesterday? Eugene would have found you then, wouldn't he?" 

Eugene piped in when it was clear to him that Rapunzel couldn't bring herself to answer that question and said, "Your Majesty...at the time, I didn't know she was the Lost Princess. I found her, of course, and we did get her out of the tower yesterday, but..." 

"But..." Arianna repeated.

"Son, how long have you travelled with Rapunzel?" asked Frederic.

"...about three days, not including bringing her back to the castle today." he answered guiltily. 'Why did he answer it like that?' she thought. 

"So, what happened?" 

She decided to field the question, and recounted everything that she felt comfortable mentioning- Eugene being whacked into unconsciousness by a frying pan, the deal they made, the way she explored the world outside of the tower, she omitted the Snuggly Duckling and the valley flood, skipping straight to the hair healing his hand. "He cut his hand somewhere along the way, I'm not sure how", she used as an excuse. She mentioned telling Gothel that she wouldn't go back to the tower when she found her in the forest, then the day the two had in town and when they watched the lanterns that night. Her story paused then. She knew what came next, and she wasn't happy with it. 

"Rapunzel?" Arianna interjected, "Are you okay?" 

"I...I just-just...this part of the story is...well, it's..."

Eugene came to the rescue and said, "That was right around when the Royal Guards found me, your Majesty." Her mother's gaze moved from Rapunzel to Eugene. "Ah."

"Yes, the Captain was rather pleased with himself", Frederic recounted.

"I'm sure he was. So, Gothel managed to trap us. She used the Stabbington Brothers to lure me to land, the two knocked me out, tied me to a boat, and set it loose." 

Eugene continued the story from there. He explained how Gothel had taken her back to the tower while he was being taken prisoner himself. Rapunzel's mind started drifting from reality only to go somewhere far worse. Gothel came to mind. She remembered the feeling when she used Rapunzel's hair to yank her back into her grasp, and found chains she had stolen a long time ago to clasp to her wrists as well as a cloth to put into her mouth. She intended to lead Rapunzel away from the tower in chains. 

"You asked for this, Rapunzel", Gothel hissed, "You could have just shut up and stayed quiet. This could have been fine had you done what you were told in the first place, but no. You arrogant little _brat!_ You brought this on yourself." Rapunzel struggled and tried to pull away from the chains, breaking a lot of furniture in the process and nearly making Gothel lose her grip. 

_**"CHAINED AND GAGGED?!"** _

The King's rage filled the room. It woke Rapunzel from her waking nightmare, making her gasp audibly. His anger radiated in his eyes, and shot daggers to anyone who dared to give them a glimpse. Rapunzel had the misfortune of seeing that herself. Perhaps he could sense her fear, perhaps he came to his senses some other way, but his eyes softened upon looking at her. Arianna placed a hand on his arm and told him quietly, "Frederic, please". He sighed, trying his best to calm down. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry you all were subjected to that." He breathed deeply, attempting to lower his blood pressure. Rapunzel looked back to Eugene, who was white as a sheet after his Majesty's outburst. Pascal was hiding under the table cover. "Eugene, I didn't mean to interrupt you. I need you to tell me where this woman is, and soon." 

"Well," Eugene said nervously, "I was actually about to say what happened to her." Rapunzel hated this part of the story; she hardly needed to listen to Eugene recount it. Unfortunately, her mind had only one place to go despite her best efforts to not go there, and it was back to the tower, where she would have to recount it anyway. She heard a distant familiar call outside of the tower below. "Rapunzel?!" it called desperately. "Rapunzel, let down your hair!" Gothel used this as an opportunity, quickly tying the Lost Princess to the nearby column, and collecting her hair in a pile to drop down below. She pulled on her chains and screamed as loud as she could, but her words were obfuscated by the cover of the gag. There was no way she could stop his ascent that she could feel tugging at her scalp. She was effectively powerless to stop anything. "Rapunzel", she heard distantly. The call grew louder. 

"Rapunzel", she heard his call much clearer and calmer. There were no chains on her wrist, and no gags in her mouth, but a warm hand gently on her shoulder. It was Eugene's. "Are you there?"

"Oh yes, yes I am, sorry, I just...I got lost in thought."

"It's okay, my dear, Eugene had just gotten to the part where he destroyed Gothel. I'd like to know what happened after that." Frederic stated. 

"Oh, yes...that was, uh...well..." She couldn't bring the words to her tongue. She completely forgot she didn't tell Eugene how she revived him.

"Your Majesty, with all due respect", Eugene attempted to save her, "It doesn't really matter _how_ , right? Just that I uh, well, I died, and she brought me back and then I brought her here. Yay!"

"But the hair is cut. How would she have done that if her hair was gone when she resurrected you?" Frederic insisted. 

No words were leaving her mouth. All she could picture was him, the blood stain on his shirt growing larger, feeling the desperation in her attempts to make her hair do something, anything. She couldn't let him go. She couldn't let him die. It had only been two days, but she never cared for someone so much in her eighteen years of life. The desperate monologue ran through her head, 'Does he still care about me? Does he still care about the kiss in the tower? Did he mean it when he said I was his 'New Dream'? What did that even mean? I thought I knew, but something happened. What did I do wrong? All of them are staring at me, they're waiting for me to answer, they think I'm weird, they don't want me here, what did I do? What do I do? _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm trying so hard, I can't breathe--'_

"I'm sorry", she choked out, "I'm sorry, but I...I need to get some air...I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." She quickly rushed away from her chair and left the dining room to find somewhere to get some air. She could hear her father from behind the open door, sounding seemingly heartbroken, "Did I say something wrong?" She felt crushed. 'Of course it wasn't him, it was...everything, she guessed. She felt Pascal tug on her dress to climb up to her shoulder. His pigments changed to blue next to her. The castle was loaded with balconies, so it didn't take too long to find a balcony to stand on, and get the air she needed. Pascal hopped onto the railing to hug her hand. 

She felt tears rolling down her face. "Why am I sad, Pascal? This is a dream come true. I'm with my family. I'm a princess. I'm home now, for real this time. What happened? Why can't I just be happy?" 

"Hey." 

She turned her head slightly, recognizing Eugene's figure from behind her. He sounded concerned, "Are you okay?" She brought her gaze back towards the balcony's edge. He's seen her cry enough, as far as she was concerned. That didn't seem to stop him. He walked up to the edge of the balcony, and stood next to her, placing an arm gently around her shoulders in a small embrace. "You don't like that story much, do you?" 

"It was fun until that part." 

Eugene frowned, "Yeah, I feel the same way. Except for the frying pan parts. I could live without those welts." She gave a sad laugh with her mouth closed. "How are you able to just tell people about how you died?" 

"I mean, I can't say it's my first brush with death. It's just...well, the furthest I ever got. Besides, I'm alive, aren't I?" 

She looked to him and responded, "You are, yes." 

"So as far as I'm concerned, it's a good ending. I think that's why I'm comfortable telling it, if I focus on the what-ifs, I probably wouldn't make it through either." She sighed, "I suppose you're right. It just...I can't even bring myself to talk about that part right now." 

"Then I can share that part for you until you can." 

"...promise?" 

"Absolutely." 

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." 

"Was that what was bothering you?" 

Rapunzel felt a little more relaxed, but something was still bothering her. 

"Eugene...I'm supposed to be happy, right?" He looked at her puzzled, "Well...are you?" 

"I-I don't know what I'm feeling. I was a princess all along, I'm in my own castle, I have my real parents, I have you..." His eyebrows raised. She still didn't know what he was feeling, so she clarified, "...as a good friend, you know..." His eyebrows came back down. He looked to the horizon and said, "Oh, right...of course..." 

"So...why aren't I absolutely elated? I mean, I was when I first hugged them, and when they showed me all these great things about the castle, but...something happened." Eugene looked back. She was still finding the words. "Am I broken?" 

"Hey, don't do that to yourself." 

"Do what?" 

"You're not broken, you're perfect. I think you might just be overwhelmed by everything. Having to relive yesterday probably didn't help you there, but you don't want to dig yourself into a hole. It's only going to make it harder to get used to everything." 

Rapunzel was surprised by his words there. He described it just the way she needed. "So...this is normal?" 

"I think if I found out I was secretly a Prince yesterday, I'd be pretty overwhelmed too. There's nothing wrong with you." 

Rapunzel smiled. She felt a wave of relief wash over here. "Thank you." He returned the smile, "Of course." 

"Well, what about you though?" 

"What about me?" 

"Are you okay?" 

"Why wouldn't I be?" 

"It's just...you've been acting weird since we got here." 

Eugene's face looked embarrassed once again. "Was it obvious?" 

"From the beginning." Eugene let out a strangled sigh. "Eugene, we kissed in the tower, and then suddenly, you just...avoided. Like, a lot. I understood when it was in front of my mom, but, in my own room? Where we were alone?" He kept looking over the balcony. "Eugene, did I do something wrong?" His expression became worried. He quickly looked to her and put a hand on her shoulder, "No! No, no, no, of course not. You haven't done anything to hurt me, I swear. At least, not since the frying pan." 

She placed her hand on the hand on her shoulder, then spoke quietly, "....was it the fry--?" 

" _It wasn't the frying pan._ " 

"So what was it?" 

He removed the hand and waited a moment. "Your life changed a _lot_ in a ridiculously short amount of time. You aren't a magical mysterious stranger from the forest anymore. You're a magical princess from the forest now." Her brows furled in confusion while he talked, "It just...it's so different now." 

"How?" 

"Well...Rapunzel, I'm a thief and you're royalty. I may not have the greatest understanding of hierarchy, but I'm pretty sure you and I are at least a billion classes apart." 

"Why does that matter?" 

"Because, dinner will end, and that'll mean I have to leave, and when I leave...we won't be able to really see each other anymore." 

"What makes you so sure?" 

"Again, I lack an academic understanding of hierarchy, but royals don't just walk around the streets aimlessly and talk to the common folk." 

"There's a first time for everything." 

He scoffed at that. Something hit Rapunzel: He's a thief. Of course he has no place to go. "Wait, where will you go?" 

Maybe it didn't hit Eugene until that moment either, but he waited a moment before responding, "I can find something, I'm sure...", Hoping she wouldn't hear him, he then mumbled softly "...if anyone wants anything to do with me, that is..." Rapunzel felt horrified to hear that. She took his shoulders, "Listen to me; I'm not going to let you go just because I'm a Princess now. I'm here because of you and I'm never going to forget that. I'm going to help you." 

His face spelled out his skepticism pretty plainly. "Eugene, you will always be my best friend...after Pascal, and I'm going to help you. I promise." Pascal nodded in affirmation. He smiled warmly, "All right. I believe you. I know better than to doubt one of your promises, Sunshine." 

Rapunzel chuckled lightly, "You've never called me that before." 

"Well, it fits pretty well, don't you think? Do you like it?" 

Rapunzel nodded, "I do." He had that look in his eye; she recognized it from the boat where they watched the lanterns. She didn't realize it, but they were both embracing each other, staring deeply into one another's eyes. He finally felt like the Eugene she got to know just days ago. 

"Eugene?" 

"Yeah?" 

"What did you mean when you said I was your 'New Dream'?" 

He opened his mouth to answer, but her mother's voice was heard instead. "Rapunzel?" The two darted their heads in the direction of the door, where her mother stood. He backed off of her to allow Arianna some space. She quickly came up to her and hugged her daughter. 

"I'm so sorry, Mom." 

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Rapunzel. We didn't mean to upset you", she spoke softly into her ear. "Oh, Mom, you didn't upset me. None of you did. I thought you'd be furious with me." She looked into Rapunzel's eyes and reassured, "We're not angry with you at all. We're worried about you, but furious? No, of course not." 

Rapunzel teared up a little and flashed a quivering smile. "Do you want to tell me what made you upset?" the Queen asked gently. 

"You know, I didn't know either, but...I think Eugene helped me clear it up." Arianna looked to Eugene with a smile. Once her gaze returned to Rapunzel's, she explained, "I spent my life in a tower, Mom. I find out in three days that the woman I thought was my mother was actually my kidnapper, I was a Princess all along, I'm supposed to live in this giant castle, and... I know so little about things here. I want to know everything about you and Dad. I want to know everything I should know about being a Princess, about Corona. But...that's all so much to know, and...I got overwhelmed. And, Mom, I know that it ended up fine, but yesterday was terrible." She gave a look of sympathy. "I wouldn't doubt it; that sounded like a terrible and painful day. I couldn't imagine how I would be doing if that was your father and I." She gave her daughter's shoulders a press, "You're strong, Rapunzel. It takes courage to do what you've done, and that much more to admit these things hurt you. We'll do everything we can to make sure you're comfortable here, and give you all the time you need to adjust. We want to help you." She was smiling with a sob in her throat. She couldn't stop herself from hugging her mother, who returned it in kind. "I love you, Rapunzel. Both of us do." She was quickly growing to love her mother back. 

Rapunzel looked behind and saw her father standing there with the same smile he gave her upon her return. She didn't realize it, but he heard everything she told her. He walked up behind his wife, and Rapunzel quickly held out another arm for him, which he gladly used. "I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't want to upset you." 

"I'm not upset at all. I was worried _I_ upset _you_. Are you okay?" 

She looked up to him and told him, "I think I will be. We should probably go back to the dining room, shouldn't we?" 

Her father gave a comforting smile to her, took her shoulders and led her back to the dining room with the rest of the entourage in tow. 

The food was laid out for them by the time they returned to the dining room. They finally had a chance to talk and enjoy themselves. Eugene seemed far more lively at the dinner table now, she noticed. Pascal had a small belly form from the food he ate. For the first time in a long time, she finally felt like a part of a family. She never knew how wonderful it could be. 'This is a change- a huge change- but it's going to be a good change... I can tell.' 

All good things must come to an end, as the food was gone, and the partakers were stuffed with it. "This was a wonderful dinner tonight, don't you think?" Frederic asked. "It was delicious. The chef must have done something special tonight", Arianna answered. "It tasted fantastic", Rapunzel commented, "Eugene, what did you think?" Eugene's gaze was fixed to the table, but perked up once he realized she was talking to him. "Oh! Oh, it was a great dinner." He answered half-heartedly. Something was eating at him. It took her a moment to figure out what, but she remembered what he said before. "Dinner will end, and that'll mean I have to leave..." She plucked up some courage and turned to her father. "Dad?" 

"Rapunzel?" 

"Could I ask you something? It's really important to me." 

"Ask away, my love." 

She held the hand he laid on the table. "Could you let Eugene stay for the night? Please, please, pretty please?" 

He raised an eyebrow at that request. "Frederic, I think that might be a good idea", Arianna agreed. 

He waited a moment, then made a decision, "Very well. I'm sure we could find some quarters for him." She turned to look at him, clearly excited at what she accomplished. Eugene looked absolutely stunned. "I-I don't know what to say, your Majesties. Thank you, thank you so much." 

"We will be discussing details soon, son." 

"Thank you, Dad!" She hopped up from her chair to give him a kiss on his cheek. He blushed. 

"Cassandra", the king called. A young woman in a blue and white dress with a piece of curly black hair sticking out who arrived to help clean the table off approached the King. "Yes, your Majesty." 

"Please prepare a room for our guest." 

She moved her head in the direction of the guest, and immediately her face grew almost disgusted. She moved away and replied, "Yes, your Majesty" before moving to the corridor to start preparations. 

"This is the part of dinner where we move away from our kind servants and onto our beds. Rapunzel, you've had a long day, and I'm sure you would fare well with some sleep", Frederic instructed. "That's true", she replied. 

"Eugene, would you mind escorting her to her chambers?" Arianna asked kindly. "Of course, your Majesty." He offered an arm for Rapunzel to officially escort her. She wrapped her arm around his gracefully as he led her out. Once they had found themselves away from the dining room, Eugene admitted quietly, "All right, cards on the table, I have no idea where we are." 

"Yeah, me neither." 

Stan tapped on his shoulder, and pointed them in the right direction, "This way, Mr. Escort." 

Once they arrived to her bedchambers, Stan and Pete opened up the doors to allow the Princess entry. Before she closed them, she wanted one last word with her friend. "Didn't I tell you?" 

"You did. You promised and you delivered. You're reliable like that." 

"I do my best. I'm just happy you have a place to stay for the night!" 

"Happy, huh? There's an improvement from earlier." 

"It is an improvement. Thank you again for that." 

"Anytime. I have absolutely no idea where my room is, but uh, feel free to visit it... if you find out where it is, I guess." 

She smiled, "I think I can figure it out." 

He returned it. "Well then, good night, Sunshine." 

"Good night." 

She closed the door behind her, breathing in relief. He did care. Her parents weren't angry with her. She was home. 

Behind her doors, she could have sworn she heard Stan say something along the lines of, "The King wants a word with you in an hour." 

_Present day_

Eugene ended up pulling himself away from the trance. 

"What...was that?" 

Rapunzel walked back into the room with her nightgown on, freshly bathed, ready for their journey tomorrow. "Eugene?" His face shot up. He seemed disoriented. "Are you all right?" she asked concernedly. 

"Uh...I..." 

"What happened?" 

"The Great Mother kind of showed me something." 

"It did?!" 

Eugene nodded. "It gave me your thoughts this time." Rapunzel's eyes widened. She sat down next to him, "When?" 

"That first dinner with Mom and Dad." 

She buried her face into her hands. "Please don't be mad at me", he begged. 

"I have absolutely no right to be. You know as well as I do it's not intentional." 

"Well...yeah..." 

"I'm not mad, I'm...mortified...embarrassed beyond belief...I think I understand how you were feeling." 

"It was a shock to me the first time, definitely." 

Rapunzel kept sitting there, staring at the floor. "We weren't great at sharing feelings with one another, were we?" she commented. 

"Oh, we were _terrible_ at it." 

"Awful, the worst." 

They were silent for a moment, but they couldn't help but laugh a little. They were happy to see how they had grown. "I mean, I know you freaked out that day, but I had no idea how badly you were doing then." 

"I mean, I didn't know you were scared that Dad was going to kill you. You're a good actor." 

"Eh, you learn from a life of stealing and grifting. Sounds like you also learn from living in a tower for eighteen years." 

"It certainly didn't hurt." She decided to get up and move to her side of the bed. Going under the covers, Eugene turned to her and said, "I also didn't realize how much what I was doing was affecting you. I mean, you told me right then and there that I was acting weird all night and that it hurt, but...I'm sorry I made you think I didn't care anymore." 

"Well, I know better now. I still think you were right; I was overwhelmed. I think it was making some scenarios in my head that weren't true. It wasn't your fault." 

He smiled. "I'm glad I could help." They laid on their sides, staring at each other while they talked. "Hey, how do you feel about that part of the story now?" 

"Story?" 

"Yeah, where we got you out of the tower?" 

She took a moment to try and understand what he was talking about-they just spent two years in another journey entirely, after all- but it clicked pretty quickly. 

"Oh! You know, maybe it's because of everything we went through just in the last few years but...it definitely doesn't seem as scary as it used to be. I mean, don't get me wrong, I still don't like reliving your near-death, but I think now I've seen you nearly die so many times in the last two years, it's...a less poignant moment than it used to be." 

"Good, because I think you have a point with the last few years stuff; There were plenty of times where I was scared that _you_ were going to die, and I gotta tell ya, I don't like reliving those moments either." 

She chortled through her nose, "So we have an understanding." 

"A big one. We're avoiding the near-death stuff on our way to Harriston tomorrow, right?" 

"We'll try, but you know how these things are." 

He groaned annoyedly, "Stupid deadly stones." She smirked at him. She wanted to ask him something that she didn't even think of until that moment, "Hey Eugene?" 

"Yeah?" 

"What would you have done if I wasn't the Lost Princess?" 

He took a moment. He wasn't sure about that either. "What do you mean?" 

"If I was just a magical, mysterious stranger you met in a tower, I wasn't secretly royalty all along. Do you know what you would have done once you got me out?" 

He pondered that for a moment. "You know...I didn't think that far ahead. I was a fugitive, and you were an innocent person. I guess...I probably would have just brought you back to Corona, and then just..." 

"Just what?" 

He paused. Would he really have just left her there? 

"Would you really have just left me there?" 

He stammered for a moment, not wanting to sound insensitive, but unsure what else he would have done. "W-well...okay, but really, it-it wouldn't have been....great to have stayed there when, you know, the _whole of the Royal Guard_ was after me." 

"Except Max." 

"Except Max, but my point still stands." 

"I don't think I would have accepted it." 

"What? You loved Corona!" 

"I did, but it would have been kind of lonely without you there." 

"You're pretty good at the friend-making aspect of life, Rapunzel. I think you would have done well." 

"Part of the friend-making is being able to talk to them whenever I can. That includes you. You also told me that I could go and find a new dream. That's you." 

He frowned. He didn't like the possibility of leaving her behind, but what else would she have done? Joined him in a life of crime? 

"Maybe I could have joined you in your life of crime." 

He laughed incredulously, "What?" 

"Yeah! It would have been fun!" 

"No offense, but...you're not the criminal type. Especially then, you weren't." 

"I could have learned! Ooh, I could have been your apprentice. Maybe I could have ended up a better thief than you." 

He bowled over in laughter, "Blondie, you do _not_ get to where I am without years of experience!" 

"I'm a quick learner." 

He started to calm down a little bit. "You're being facetious, right?" 

"You think?

"Look...I'm just glad it didn't come to that. You were the Lost Princess, I gave up a life of crime, and now I get to live in a beautiful castle with my beautiful wife. Everything ended up the way it needed to, if you ask me." 

"I couldn't agree more. I was just curious." 

Eugene sighed, fully brought down from the laughter. "Fair enough. It's a thinker, for sure." 

"Definitely. All right, I kept you for long enough, we need to get to sleep." She kissed her husband on the cheek. "Good night." 

"Good night." 

_\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Galen gifted Cass with a very strange compass; usually, a compass points north, but this one pointed in all sorts of directions. She found herself in more dangerous situations: balancing herself on rocky outcroppings to hop across rivers, avoiding poison grasses, thwacking into trees when she was focused on the compass. It was leading her somewhere, she was sure of it, but where? 

Eventually, she found a small cliffside, not short enough to climb, but not overpoweringly tall. The needle that guided her across her journey vanished from the compass. Now she was confused and hopelessly lost. Where on Earth was she? Where was her house? 'Oh, this isn't good', she thought. Thankfully, her stupor didn't last forever as she heard a familiar voice behind her. 

"Cassandra!" 

She jumped and quickly pivoted behind her to see who said that. Galen stood there under the shadow of the trees. "I'm glad you're here, child." 

"Yeah, I'm-I'm glad to see you too." She saw a smile form under his cloak. "What brings you to my neck of the woods, Cassandra?" 

"Well...remember when you said I could come by if I ever wanted a good cup of tea?" 

He laughed kindly, "Of course I do. You seem like you could use one." 

She smiled gratefully, "I do. Pretty badly, really." 

"Come, then. You've managed to make it to my front door step. The least I can do is grant you passage." All Cass could see was the cliff- that changed quickly. A part of the wall vanished slowly to reveal a small doorway, more than tall enough for Galen to walk underneath. 

"Your friend is also welcome to join us." 

Cassandra turned around once again, "What friend?" 

He pointed to a small berry bush behind a tree, "Why, she's in that bush over there." 

"No, I'm not." 

Cass yelped in surprise. "Who-what the...Iris?!" 

The bush sighed in disappointment, and from it walked her friend from the bakery. "Hey", she greeted guiltily. "What on Earth were you doing?" 

"I...I got curious..." 

"You could have gotten seriously hurt. You could have--" 

"Ladies", the old man interrupted. The two brought their attention to Galen, who continued, "Perhaps we should discuss this over that cup of tea we discussed." Cassandra, who was still worried, but knew what she came for, sighed and followed the old man with Iris in tow. Once they were in, Galen proceeded to light the lanterns they had before letting the cave door close once again. 

Despite being in a cave, it was homey. Humble kitchen furniture filled the room, with wooden tables and chairs covered with a green-checkered tablecloth, a fireplace with a pot hanging over the hearth, and simple wooden counters and cupboards decking the rocky walls. "I see you brought your spear with you, Cassandra", commented Galen. 

"Oh, yeah, I wasn't sure if Keelan might still be mad at me..." 

"Fear not, Keelan hasn't shown any sign of contempt towards you since their visit." 

Cass' eyes looked away from him, "Did they tell you about that, then?" 

"Yes. I thank you once more." 

She wasn't sure what he meant. 

"For showing mercy a second time." 

"A second time?" Iris repeated, "What does he mean, Cass?" 

Cass couldn't bring herself to look at her. "Cass?" 

"Ah, it looks like we have some stories to tell, my dear. Please correct me if I'm wrong, did she say your name was Iris?" 

Iris nodded, "It's nice to meet you, Mr...?" 

"My name is Galen. Please, take a seat. The tea shouldn't be too long." 

The two took a seat across from each other. They had no words to say to each other. Iris knew she shouldn't have spied on her, but Cass knew she didn't need to be so cryptic. Galen could feel the creeping silence on his back, and decided it needed to be broken. 

"Cassandra, did you ever get a chance to drink the tea I left for you?" She turned to Galen, who was focused on his boiling kettle of water over the fire he lit. "Oh, yes I did. You're right, it was a good tea." 

"I only drink the best, Cassandra. You may like this one. It's not Earl Grey, but it has a similar effect." 

"I'm looking forward to it." She returned back to the awkward silence between her and Iris, but Iris decided to ask him, "Hey, the sword-fighting kid, you said their name was Keelan, right?" 

"That's correct. They're my grandchild." 

"Ah, cool, cool, all right, and uh, are they here? At all?" 

"They decided to take a walk. They told me last night that they lost something very precious, so they have spent the whole day looking for it. I'm hoping they'll return soon- it's growing dark out." He stood up once the water was sufficiently boiled, and carried the kettle to three cups prepared for them. Once he lowered the tea leaves into the water, he covered the tea cups and proceeded to sit with the two of them. "Now then, Iris, clearly Cassandra did not know you were following her." 

"That's true, yes." 

"Why did you not simply ask to go with her?" 

Iris sighed uncomfortably, "Well...it's just...Cass has this thing where I'll ask her something and she'll be rather...vague and misleading...and I-I'm just so curious about her, I just...I had to know. I let my curiosity get the best of me." 

"Now Cassandra, what is it you fear this young woman here knowing about you?" 

Cass grimaced, "So...how much did Keelan tell you about last night?" 

"Only that they left to challenge you, gave up on it, and returned home." 

"And that's it?" 

Galen nodded. 

"It's...it's..." 

"Cass" 

She felt her warm hand on hers, "At this point, there's nothing you could tell me that would make me think that much less of you." Cass averted her gaze away once again. 

"I don't know if that's true." 

She squeezed her hand a little, "Cass, you have given me so much reason to trust you. I think you can trust me." 

"Iris, it's not a good story. It really isn't." 

"Why not let Iris be the judge of that?" 

She was drawn to Iris' hopeful eyes. They were too similar to someone else she knew, despite the color differences. "Iris, why don't we let this be a room of safety?" suggested the old man. "We can reserve our judgements for a different time and a different place, yes?" 

"That's fine by me. Cass?" 

She still wasn't sure. 

"Would it help if I revealed something myself?" Cassandra curiously looked to the old man. He grabbed the edge of his hood, and slowly pulled it back. Revealed was a face with an eye that was scratched out of it's rightful place in his skull, the scars creeping all the way to his forehead. Cass couldn't believe what he saw. What could have happened to such a man? 

"I do not like to remove my robes in public for a reason." 

Cass kept her mouth agape, dismayed by the sight. She expected crazy green hair like Keelan, not an eye that was torn out. She quickly realized she was being rude by gawking at his wound and averted her gaze once again. "I-I had no idea." 

"Like I said, this is a room of safety." 

Cass took a deep breath. If he was willing to show that side of himself, she could tell him what had happened. 

"Are you familiar with the Moonstone? Either of you?" 

Iris shook her head no, but Galen's one eye widened at the sound. "The Moonstone?" She nodded shamefully. "Iris, the Moonstone is this mystical, celestial stone that dropped from space centuries ago. It's purpose is to destroy living things, and I should never have been anywhere near it." 

"You're wrong." 

Cass looked to the old man, curious. He collected himself, "Please, forgive my outburst, Cassandra. I promised a room of safety. That is what I will give. Please, continue."

__

__

She sighed, "The point is, it's a really powerful stone, and if you're not careful, it can cause a lot of harm." She tried to stop a sob in her throat. 

"I used it to try and destroy my best friend and my hometown." 

She told them everything, her journey to the Dark Kingdom, and how she double-crossed the Princess to take the stone from her when she needed it to restore balance. She spoke of Zhan Tiri, and the way she manipulated her to believe that Rapunzel had stolen her destiny from her. She explained how she was banished from Corona after these events took place, and that she couldn't stay anywhere in the seven kingdoms, which led her to Harriston. 

"No one knew who I was here. Despite the fact that Corona clearly has a relationship with Harriston, no one seemed to revile me in the same way the other Kingdoms did, and seemed okay with me catching criminals. So, I set up shop in the mountains here. You know the rest." 

The two were in stunned silence. They could feel her guilt pulsating from her heart. It was almost unbearable. 

"So now you know. I'm a double-crossing idiot that got herself caught in a mess she shouldn't have been in, and I'm still paying the price. The Princess I took that journey with, Iris? She's the one who invited me to her wedding." 

"What?!" She exclaimed. A sob was catching in her throat once again. "Yeah." 

"Cass?" She clasped her hands over Cassandra's, "Thank you". 

"For what?" 

"For finally telling me this." Cass' eyes were filled with regret. "Did you learn from what you did?" she asked her. 

"Yes." 

"You sound sorry for what you did. Are you?" 

"More than anything." 

"Then it seems like I'm still talking to a good person, if you ask me. An amazing and wonderful and powerful person. Even though it came with bad intentions, I couldn't imagine just anyone doing what you did." A tear Cass struggled to keep back escaped and rolled down her cheek, but it was a tear of relief. Galen offered her a cloth to wipe it away. She took it and thanked him, wiping away the stinging tear that also attempted to leave. "Cass, I promise, I'm not going anywhere. The people really like you, they do. They don't see you like that at all." She waited a moment, "and...I like you." She blushed at her own comment. "I like you too, Iris." 

"And Cassandra, I have so many stories to tell you", Galen told her. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Cassandra, the Moonstone's purpose is not destruction. Far from it. It has such a great and powerful purpose for everyone, and I promise you, it's not all to harm others. You have a connection with an amazing being. The Moonstone offers much more than obelisks and death." 

The cave opening appeared once again. Keelan stood at the entrance in despair. "No luck, my child?" asked Galen sympathetically. "No. I don't understand, where could it have go--" The child didn't notice the familiar women at first, but was stunned to see them drinking tea at their table. "Grandfather! You-your robe...and in front of others. I--" He smiled. It was the first time Cass had ever seen his smile away from the cover of shadow. "My child, these young women are no longer 'others'. Why didn't you tell me you found the Moonstone incarnate?" Keelan was flabbergasted. He knew? How? 

"I-I...I..." 

"Galen, I asked Keelan not to tell anyone." 

Still looking to his grandchild for answers, he asked him, "Is this true?" Keelan nodded, "Yes, Grandfather." 

"It was honorable of you to keep your word, but this is incredible, Keelan! I couldn't be happier!" 

Cassandra had no idea that anyone aside from demons could be happy to hear of the Moonstone. "Really?" 

"Oh, my dear, we've been waiting for the Moonstone to move from the clutches of the Dark Kingdom for centuries." 

Cass, still shocked, turned her head to Keelan, who nodded in affirmation. "We need it's help. The stone may be in space now, but it's holder is important. You may not have been born with the stone like Keelan was with the Eye of the Earth, but you still share an essential connection. The fate of the Earth rests with you, Cassandra." 

Another fate. Another destiny. She didn't ask for it this time, but then again, she didn't truly ask for it in the first place. This was written on the walls the minute she took the Moonstone. "What kind of help do you need?" 

"Come with me, Cassandra. I need to tell you everything." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed and may you have a good 2021!


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